THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


PHOTOGRAPH    »Y 


(Efyeobore 


MEMOIRS 

OF 

THEODORE   THOMAS 


BY 


ROSE  FAY  THOMAS 

Author  of 
"Our  Mountain  Garden" 


Illustrated 


NEW   YORK 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 

1911 


Copyright,  1911,  by 
MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 


All  Bights  Reserved 


Published  October,  1911 


College 
Library 


TO 

CHARLES  NORMAN  FAY 

THE  BEST  AND  TRUEST  FRIEND  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 
AND  THE  CHIEF  PROMOTER  OF  HIS  ART 


1157352 


PREFACE 

IN  writing  the  following  chronicle  of  the  life  and 
art  work  of  my  husband,  Theodore  Thomas,  I  have 
endeavored  to  confine  my  own  part  of  the  narra- 
tive to  a  simple  relation  of  the  sequence  of  events 
in  his  career,  and  to  occasional  touches  such  as 
might  reveal  something  of  the  deeper  and  more 
intimate  side  of  his  nature  which  was  known  only 
to  those  who  shared  his  home.  In  describing  his 
achievements  I  have  used,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
words  of  others — chiefly  of  eminent  professional 
critics  or  musicians,  who  personally  attended  the 
great  musical  events  under  his  leadership  and 
wrote  the  articles  I  have  quoted,  while  the  impres- 
sion created  by  them  was  still  fresh  and  vivid  in 
their  minds. 

Mr.  Thomas  never  conducted  a  concert  in 
Europe,  or  sought  to  advertise  himself  or  his  work 
there  in  any  way.  Nevertheless,  he  was  regarded 
by  the  foremost  European  musicians  as  their  peer, 
and  his  letter  files  contain  personal  expressions  of 
gratitude  and  honor  from  the  contemporary  com- 
posers and  executant  artists  of  every  land  in  which 
the  art  of  music  holds  an  honored  place.  At  the 
request  of  my  publishers,  and  others,  I  have  in- 
serted a  number  of  these  letters,  as  adding  to 
the  general  interest  of  the  book,  and  showing 
the  importance  which  even  the  greatest  foreign 


viii  PREFACE 

composers    attach   to   the   performance   of   their 
works  in  America. 

In  conclusion  let  me  say  that  it  has  been  my 
faithful  endeavor  to  make  this  record  correct  in 
every  detail,  but  Mr.  Thomas  preserved  very  few 
letters  or  papers  except  those  of  a  purely  business 
character  and  the  letters  from  musicians,  above 
mentioned.  For  the  first  thirty  years  of  his 
life  even  these  are  almost  wholly  lacking,  and 
had  he  not,  fortunately,  written  a  short  auto- 
biographical sketch  as  an  introduction  to  a  work 
edited  and  collaborated  by  Mr.  George  P.  Upton 
in  1905,*  which  included  a  volume  of  his  concert 
programmes,  I  should  have  had  to  leave  the 
record  of  these  formative  years  of  his  career 
almost  a  blank.  This  sketch,  however,  enabled 
me  to  place  such  additional  material  as  I  have 
been  able  to  collect  from  other  sources  in  its 
proper  sequence.  As  for  the  rest,  it  has  been 
no  easy  matter  to  piece  together  —  from  pro- 
grammes and  prospectuses,  from  the  scrap-books 
of  friends,  from  old  magazine  articles  and  musical 
encyclopedias,  and  from  a  hundred  other  nonde- 
script sources  —  the  continuous  narrative  of  his 
life.  If,  therefore,  some  inaccuracies  have  crept 
in,  despite  my  earnest  care,  and  the  six  years  of 
research  I  have  devoted  to  the  work,  I  must 
crave  indulgence  because  of  the  great  difficulty 
of  the  task.  ROSE  FAY  THOMAS. 

,"  October  11,  1910. 


*  "  Theodore  Thomas,  a  Musical  Autobiography,"  Edited  by  George 
P.  Upton.    A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.,  publishers. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFACE vii 

CHAPTER  I 
1835—1860 

CHILDHOOD— HIS  FIRST  VIOLIN— PLAYS  BEFORE  THE 
KING— EMIGRATES  TO  AMERICA  1845— PLAYS  IN 
THE  ENGLISH  THEATER  ORCHESTRA— PLAYS  IN 
A  MARINE  BAND— FIRST  CONCERT  TOUR— RE- 
TURNS TO  NEW  YORK  AND  JOINS  THE  GERMAN 
THEATER  ORCHESTRA— BECOMES  A  MEMBER  OF 
THE  ITALIAN  OPERA  COMPANY  UNDER  ECKERT 
1851— MEMBER  OF  JULLIEN'S  ORCHESTRA- 
ELECTED  MEMBER  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  PHIL- 
HARMONIC SOCIETY  1854— MEMBER  OF  THE 
MASON-THOMAS  QUARTETTE  1855— FIRST  TWO 
VISITS  TO  CHICAGO,  1855  AND  1859  ...  1 

CHAPTER  II 

1860—1867 

FIRST  EXPERIENCE  AS  CONDUCTOR— APPOINTED 
CONDUCTOR  OF  THE  ITALIAN  OPERA— FIRST 
ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT— FOUNDS  THE  THEO- 
DORE THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  1864— MARRIES  MISS 
RHODES— CONDUCTS  SUMMER  CONCERTS  AT  BEL- 
VEDERE LION  PARK— SYMPHONY  SOIREES— IN- 
AUGURATES SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS  AT 
TERRACE  GARDEN  1866— APPOINTED  CONDUCTOR 
OF  THE  BROOKLYN  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY- 
BUILDING  OF  STEINWAY  HALL— FIRST  EURO- 
PEAN TRIP— VON  BUELOW— TAUSIG— BERLIOZ  .  22 

CHAPTER  III 

1868—1870 

BUILDING  OF  CENTRAL  PARK  GARDEN  HALL  1868— 
FIRST  CONCERT  TOUR  OF  THE  THOMAS  OR- 

ix 


x  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHESTRA  1869— CRITICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  FIRST 
PERFORMANCES  IN  BOSTON,  CHICAGO,  CINCIN- 
NATI, AND  PITTSBURG— AMERICAN  MUSICAL 
CONDITIONS  IN  1869 46 

CHAPTER  IV 
1870—1872 

BOSTON  MUSICAL  STANDARDS  IN  1870— ANNA  MEH- 
LIG— THOMAS  GIVES  BEETHOVEN  PROGRAMMES 
IN  ALL  THE  LARGER  CITIES  OF  AMERICA— A 
LETTER  FROM  LISZT— SIDNEY  LANIER'S  PO- 
ETICAL DESCRIPTION  OF  A  SUMMER  NIGHT 
CONCERT— THE  GREAT  CHICAGO  FIRE  OF  1871— 
MRS.  MARIA  LONGWORTH  NICHOLS  PLANS  THE 
FIRST  CINCINNATI  MUSICAL  FESTIVAL— LIST  OF 
BOSTON  NOVELTIES  IN  1871 62 

CHAPTER  V 

1872—1873 

FIRST  WAGNER  PROGRAMME— WAGNER  VEREIN 
ORGANIZED  IN  NEW  YORK— A  LETTER  FROM 
WAGNER— WINTER  SYMPHONY  CONCERTS  RE- 
SUMED IN  NEW  YORK— A  TOUR  WITH 
RUBINSTEIN  AND  WIENIAWSKI— RUBINSTEIN 
DESCRIBES  ORCHESTRA— FIRST  NEW  YORK  FES- 
TIVAL 1873— FIRST  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL  .  .  76 

CHAPTER  VI 
1873—1876 

LAST  SEASON  OF  THE  CENTRAL  PARK  GARDEN 
SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS— PROJECT  STARTED 
FOR  A  NEW  ORCHESTRAL  BUILDING— THOMAS' 
FIRST  SKETCH  FOR  AN  ORCHESTRAL  INSTITU- 
TION AND  THE  BUILDING  SUITABLE  FOR  THE 
SAME— SECOND  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL— COMPOS- 
ERS' PROGRAMMES  AND  CLOSING  PROGRAMME 
OF  THE  SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS  OF  1875— 
THE  PHILADELPHIA  CENTENNIAL  EXPOSITION 
—THOMAS  APPOINTED  MUSICAL  DIRECTOR  OF 
THE  INAUGURAL  CEREMONIES— A  BUSINESS 
TRANSACTION  WITH  WAGNER— A  DISASTROUS 
SUMMER  NIGHT  SEASON  IN  PHILADELPHIA— 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGE 

THOMAS  FINANCIALLY  RUINED— MUSICAL  LI- 
BRARY SOLD  BY  THE  SHERIFF— A  LETTER 
FROM  SIR  ARTHUR  SULLIVAN  .  .  .  .95 

CHAPTER  VII 

1876—1878 

FIRST  SEASON  OF  CHICAGO  SUMMER  NIGHT 
CONCERTS— THE  EXPOSITION  BUILDING— THE 
THOMAS  SOUNDING  BOARD  —  REQUEST  PRO- 
GRAMMES—SOME "NATIONAL  PROGRAMMES"— 
THOMAS  BECOMES  THE  CONDUCTOR  OF  THE  NEW 
YORK  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY,  1877  .  .  .122 

CHAPTER  VIII 

1878—1879 

THIRD  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL— OPENING  OF  THE 
CINCINNATI  MUSIC  HALL— SUMMER  CONCERTS 
AT  GILMORE'S  GARDEN— THOMAS  IS  APPOINTED 
THE  MUSICAL  DIRECTOR  OF  THE  CINCINNATI 
COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC— PLANS  FOR  A  GREAT  ART 
INSTITUTION  TO  INCLUDE  A  UNIVERSITY  OF 
MUSIC,  A  SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA,  AND  A 
CHORUS— THE  INAUGURATION  OF  THE  CINCIN- 
NATI COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC— THOMAS  MOVES  TO 
CINCINNATI  IN  THE  FALL  OF  1878  .  .  .  .140 

CHAPTER  IX 

1878—1880 

OUTLINE  OF  THOMAS'  METHODS  OF  WORK  IN  THE 
CINCINNATI  COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC— TROUBLE  DE- 
VELOPS BETWEEN  THOMAS  AND  THE  PRESI- 
DENT OF  THE  COLLEGE— THOMAS  RESIGNS  FROM 
THE  COLLEGE— THE  MAY  FESTIVAL  OF  1880  .  161 

CHAPTER  X 

1880 

THOMAS  LEAVES  CINCINNATI— EUROPEAN  TRIP- 
RETURN  TO  NEW  YORK— IDENTIFIES  HIMSELF 
WITH  THE  NEW  YORK  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY 
—FORMS  NEW  YORK  AND  BROOKLYN  CHORAL 
SOCIETIES— INCEPTION  OF  NEW  YORK  AND 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHICAGO  MUSICAL  FESTIVALS  OF  1882— HONOR- 
ARY DEGREE  OF  DOCTOR  OF  MUSIC  CONFERRED 
BY  YALE  UNIVERSITY  .  177 


CHAPTER  XI 

1881 

THOMAS  AS  CHORUS  CONDUCTOR— SYMPHONY  PRO- 
GRAMMES WITH  CHORAL  SOCIETIES— CRITICAL 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DEBUT  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
AND  BROOKLYN  CHORUSES— THOMAS  BEGINS 
LOCAL  WORK  IN  CHICAGO— A  SMALL  AUDIENCE 
ON  A  STORMY  NIGHT— THE  FOUNDING  OF  THE 
BOSTON  SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA— THOMAS  LOSES 
BOSTON  AS  A  CITY  OF  THE  "HIGHWAY"  .  .  200 

CHAPTER  XII 

January  to  October,  1882 

THE  LEADERSHIP  OF  THE  BOSTON  PHILHARMONIC 
SOCIETY  CONCERTS  IS  OFFERED  TO  THOMAS— A 
TRIAD  OF  GREAT  FESTIVALS  IN  NEW  YORK, 
CINCINNATI,  AND  CHICAGO,  IN  MAY,  1882  .  .  214 

CHAPTER  XIII 
October,  1882,  to  October,  1885 

THOMAS  ELECTED  CONDUCTOR  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
LIEDERKRANZ  SOCIETY— PRODUCES  GOUNOD'S 
"  REDEMPTION  "—FIRST  TRANS-CONTINENTAL 
TOUR  IN  1883— CHILDREN'S  CONCERTS— LETTERS 
FROM  RICHARD  STRAUSS— A  CONCERT  FOR 
WORKINGMEN— WAGNER  FESTIVAL  TOUR— PRO- 
GRAMMES OF  BOSTON  WAGNER  FESTIVAL— PRO- 
POSAL OF  MAYOR  GRACE  AND  THREE  THOU- 
SAND OTHERS— SECOND  TRANS-CONTINENTAL 
TOUR  IN  1885 241 

CHAPTER  XIV 

October,  1885,  to  October,  1887 

THE  GERMAN,  AMERICAN,  AND  NATIONAL  OPERA 
COMPANIES,  AND  THEIR  OUTCOME— PURCHASE 
OF  A  COUNTRY  PLACE  AT  FAIRHAVEN,  MASS.  276 


CONTENTS  xiii 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XV 

1887—1888 

THOMAS  RETURNS  TO  CONCERT  WORK— DISAPPOINT- 
MENT—THE  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL  OF  1888— DIS- 
BANDING OF  THE  THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  IN  CHI- 
CAGO—PROGRAMME OF  THE  LAST  CONCERT- 
ILLNESS  OF  MRS.  THOMAS— AN  UNRECORDED 
SEASON— THE  DEATH  OF  MRS.  THOMAS  .  .  306 

CHAPTER  XVI 

1889—1891 

THOMAS  IN  HIS  HOME— A  NATIONAL  TESTIMONIAL 
CONCERT  TOUR— A  MEMORABLE  PERFORMANCE 
OF  THE  NINTH  SYMPHONY— THOMAS  MARRIES 
MISS  ROSE  FAY  OF  CHICAGO 326 

CHAPTER  XVII 
1891—1892 

THOMAS  ACCEPTS  THE  MUSICAL  DIRECTORSHIP  OF 
THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRA— FAREWELL  BAN- 
QUETS IN  NEW  YORK— THE  FIRST  SEASON  OF 
THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRAL  ASSOCIATION- 
THOMAS  IS  APPOINTED  MUSICAL  DIRECTOR  OF 
THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION  OF  1893  .  352 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
1892—1893 

THOMAS  AND  THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSI- 
TION—LETTERS FROM  SAINT  SAENS,  RICHTER, 
NIKISCH,  TSCHAIKOWSKY,  BRAHMS,  AND  MAS- 
SENET   376 

CHAPTER  XIX 
1893—1896 

A  HARD  WINTER  FOR  THE  ASSOCIATION— THOMAS 
RECEIVES  AN  OFFER  OF  THE  CONDUCTORSHIP 
OF  THE  BOSTON  SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA  (1893)— 
THE  ELEVENTH  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL— THOMAS 
OFFERED  THE  CONDUCTORSHIP  OF  A  NEW  SYM- 


xiv  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PHONY  ORCHESTRA  IN  NEW  YORK  (1894)— A 
HARD  CONCERT  TOUR— A  SECOND  CALL  TO  BOS- 
TON (1895)— A  EUROPEAN  PLEASURE  TRIP- 
FIRST  ENGAGEMENT  OF  THE  CHICAGO  ORCHES- 
TRA IN  NEW  YORK— THOMAS  BUILDS  A  COTTAGE 
IN  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS— A  LETTER  FROM 
CHARPENTIER— A  TRIBUTE  FROM  PADEREWSKI 
—A  PRESENTATION  FROM  NEW  YORK  MUSICIANS 
AND  FRIENDS 422 

CHAPTER  XX 
1895—1904 

THE  ORCHESTRAL  ASSOCIATION  STARTS  A  CHORUS 
UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  ARTHUR  MEES— 
A  PATRIOTIC  PERFORMANCE  OF  "  THE  STAR- 
SPANGLED  BANNER"— A  SPECTACULAR  BENE- 
FIT CONCERT— LETTERS  FROM  MASSENET  AND 
DVORAK— THOMAS  TAKES  THE  ORCHESTRA  TO 
NEW  YORK,  BOSTON,  AND  OTHER  EASTERN 
CITIES— PRESS  COMMENT  ON  THE  PERFORM- 
ANCES—A PLEASANT  SOUTHERN  TRIP  (1900)— 
A  MOUNTAIN  HOME— A  GREAT  CYCLE  OF 
BEETHOVEN  PROGRAMMES— A  HARD  SOUTHERN 
TRIP— A  CYCLE  OF  HISTORICAL  PROGRAMMES 
(1901)— THE  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL  OF  1902— 
THOMAS  IS  INVITED  TO  CONDUCT  AT  PARIS- 
FREDERICK  A.  STOCK  IS  APPOINTED  ASSISTANT 
CONDUCTOR— RICHARD  STRAUSS  VISITS  CHI- 
CAGO—THE SEASONS  OF  1903  AND  1904  .  .  .453 

CHAPTER  XXI 
1904 

THE  THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  IS  PERMANENTLY  EN- 
DOWED—THE BUILDING  OF  THE  THEODORE 
THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  HALL— NOTES  ON  THE 
CONSTRUCTION  OF  MUSIC  HALLS  BY  THOMAS— 
THE  INAUGURAL  CONCERT— DEATH  AND  BUR- 
IAL OF  THOMAS 510 

APPENDIX 

RESOLUTIONS  PASSED  AFTER  THE  DEATH  OF 
THOMAS  BY  THE  NEW  YORK  PHILHARMONIC 


CONTENTS  xv 

PAGE 

SOCIETY,  THE  BROOKLYN  PHILHARMONIC  SO- 
CIETY, THE  CINCINNATI  MUSICAL  FESTIVAL 
ASSOCIATION,  THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRAL  ASSO- 
CIATION, THE  ST.  LOUIS  CONTEMPORARY  CLUB, 
AND  OTHERS— THE  UNVEILING  OF  THE  STATUE 
OF  THOMAS  IN  THE  CINCINNATI  MUSIC  HALL 
BY  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 
MAY  6,  1910 547 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PORTRAIT  OF   THEODORE   THOMAS,  TAKEN 
IN   1884 Frontispiece 

THEODORE  THOMAS  AT  FOURTEEN   ....         8 
THEODORE   THOMAS  AT   TWENTY-TWO    ...       14 

THOMAS  AND  HIS  ORCHESTRA  IN  STEINWAY 
HALL,  NEW  YORK 36 

MRS.  BELLAMY  STORER  (FORMERLY  MARIA 
LONGWORTH  NICHOLS),  FOUNDER  OF  THE 
CINCINNATI  MUSICAL  FESTIVALS  AND  ORIGI- 
NATOR OF  THE  ROOKWOOD  POTTERY  ...  74 

THEODORE  THOMAS  AT  FORTY 90 

MRS.  E.  D.  GILLESPIE,  PRESIDENT  OF  THE 
WOMEN'S  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  PHILADEL- 
PHIA CENTENNIAL  EXPOSITION  .  .  .  .110 

DIAGRAM  OF  STAGE  USED  BY  THOMAS  IN  HIS 
SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS  124 


LAWRENCE   MAXWELL  OF  CINCINNATI    .        .        .174 
A   CINCINNATI   FESTIVAL 176 

DIAGRAMS  OF  CHORUS  SEATING  USED  BY 
THOMAS  IN  THREE  CONCERTS  OF  THE  NEW 
YORK  FESTIVAL  OF  1882  ....  226,227,231 

DIAGRAM  OF  STAGE  USED  BY  THOMAS  IN  THE 
CHICAGO  FESTIVAL  OF  1882  238 


xviii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PACING 
yAOK 

THEODORE  THOMAS  AS  HE  APPEARED  IN  CON- 
CERT          272 

THE  THOMAS  HOME  AT  FAIRHAVEN,  MASS.  .       .     304 
ROSE  FAY  THOMAS .352 

CHARLES     NORMAN     FAY,     FOUNDER     OF     THE 
CHICAGO  ORCHESTRAL  ASSOCIATION    .        .        .356 

THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRA  IN  THE  AUDITORIUM     370 

DIAGRAM  OF  THE  STAGE  USED  BY  THOMAS  IN 
THE   AUDITORIUM 372 

DANIEL  H.  BURNHAM,  ARCHITECT  IN  CHIEF  OF 
THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION     .        .     378 

SYMPHONY   HALL,  WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN   EXPO- 
SITION      .400 

A    SNAPSHOT    OF   THOMAS    AFTER  A    FESTIVAL 
REHEARSAL 428 

THOMAS  IN  HIS  CHICAGO  STUDY       .       .       .       .440 
THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1898 .     470 

THE  COTTAGE  AT  FELSENGARTEN,  MOUNT  THE- 
ODORE THOMAS,  BETHLEHEM,  N.  H.    .        .        .     490 

THE  THEODORE  THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  HALL  IN 
CHICAGO        V .520 

THE    STAGE    OF    THE    THEODORE    THOMAS    OR- 
CHESTRA HALL 526 

THE    GRAVE    OF    THEODORE    THOMAS    IN    MT. 
AUBURN  CEMETERY,  CAMBRIDGE,  MASS.    .        .     544 

STATUE  OF   THEODORE   THOMAS  UNVEILED   IN 
THE  CINCINNATI  MUSIC  HALL,  MAY,  1911  .       .     550 


MEMOIRS   OF 
THEODORE    THOMAS 

CHAPTER  I 

1835-1860 

CHILDHOOD HIS    FIRST    VIOLIN PLAYS    BEFORE    THE    KING 

EMIGRATES    TO    AMERICA    1845 PLAYS    IN    THE    ENG- 
LISH   THEATER    ORCHESTRA PLAYS   IN    A    MARINE   BAND 

FIRST    CONCERT    TOUR RETURNS    TO    NEW    YORK    AND 

JOINS    THE    GERMAN    THEATER    ORCHESTRA BECOMES    A 

MEMBER  OF  THE  ITALIAN  OPERA  COMPANY  UNDER  ECKERT 

1851 MEMBER      OF      JULLIEN*S     ORCHESTRA ELECTED 

MEMBER    OF    THE    NEW    YORK    PHILHARMONIC     SOCIETY 

1854 MEMBER      OF      THE      MASON-THOMAS      QUARTETTE 

1855 FIRST   TWO   VISITS   TO    CHICAGO,    1855    AND   1859 

THEODORE  THOMAS  rarely  spoke  about  the  past, 
almost  never  about  his  childhood.  For  this  period 
of  his  life,  therefore,  the  material  at  the  command 
of  his  biographer  is  very  limited.  He  was  the 
son  of  educated  and  refined  parents;  his  father, 
Johann  August  Thomas,  was  a  musician  of  good 
standing,  in  the  town  of  Esens,  Ost  Friesland; 
and  his  mother  the  daughter  of  a  physician.  He 
was  born  on  October  11,  1835,  and  christened,  in 
the  Lutheran  church  of  Esens,  "  Christian  Fried- 
rich  Theodore  Thomas."  The  first  two  names, 
however,  he  seems  never  to  have  used,  and,  even 
in  early  childhood,  when  he  appeared  in  public  as 

i 


2  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

a  rf  Wunder-kind"  his  name  was  printed,  as  we 
know  it  now,  simply  "  Theodore  Thomas." 

Theodore  was  the  eldest  of  a  large  family  of 
children,  none  of  whom  but  himself  inherited  any 
unusual  musical  ability,  or  subsequently  adopted 
music  as  a  profession.  His  genius,  however, 
showed  itself  while  he  was  still  so  young  that,  in 
later  life,  he  had  no  memory  of  a  time  when  he 
was  not  already  an  artist  before  the  public.  While 
he  was  still  a  baby  of  two  years  old,  he  began  to 
tease  his  father  for  a  violin,  and  so  persistent 
were  his  entreaties  that  at  last  his  father  hunted 
up  a  cast-off  old  instrument  and  gave  it  to  him, 
expecting  that  the  baby  would  soon  tire  of  the 
strange  plaything.  To  the  surprise  and  amuse- 
ment of  his  parents,  however,  the  little  chap  took 
the  violin  very  seriously,  and  would  sit  all  day  on 
the  front  door-steps  of  the  house,  scraping  away 
on  his  big  fiddle  as  hard  as  he  could,  and  when  he 
had  played  until  his  baby  hands  could  no  longer 
hold  up  the  instrument,  he  would  lay  it  aside  for 
awhile  and  say,  "  Mamma,  I  am  going  away — far 
away,"  and  would  tell  long  tales  of  how  he  meant 
to  journey  to  distant  lands. 

He  must  have  been  a  fascinating  little  fellow, 
and  as  full  of  life  as  a  young  colt — a  headstrong, 
dominating  boy,  withal,  and  not  always  easy  for 
his  gentle  mother  to  manage.  He  used  to  tell 
a  story  of  his  German  grandmother,  who  seems 
to  have  been  a  terrible  old  lady,  with  whom  he 
was  not  on  the  best  of  terms  in  those  days.  On 
one  occasion  she  had  been  to  the  funeral  of  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  3 

child  of  a  neighbor,  and  when  she  returned  little 
Theodore  was  playing  on  the  floor  behind  the  tall 
porcelain  stove.  I  know  not  what  mischief  he 
was  engaged  in,  but  it  highly  exasperated  her 
and  she  grimly  shook  a  long,  black-gloved  finger 
at  the  small  culprit,  remarking,  "  It  is  a  pity 
it  had  not  been  YOU!  "  On  another  occasion,  it 
is  said,  this  same  redoubtable  grandmother  dis- 
covered that  thieves  were  visiting  her  apple  or- 
chard. In  this  emergency  she  promptly  loaded  a 
gun,  and  taking  a  pillow  out  into  the  orchard 
every  night,  she  slept  under  her  trees  until  the 
rest  of  the  apples  were  garnered,  hoping  for  a 
chance  to  capture  the  marauder. 

No  doubt  it  was  from  this  determined  ancestor 
that  Theodore  inherited  his  own  tremendous  will 
power,  for  his  mother's  face  expresses  only  sweet- 
ness and  dignity,  and  his  father  seems  to  have 
followed,  rather  than  guided,  the  brilliant  career 
of  his  gifted  son.  The  relations  of  Theodore 
Thomas  to  his  parents  were  always  very  close 
and  tender.  From  his  early  childhood  he  worked 
hard  that  his  earnings  might  help  them,  and  after 
his  father's  death  he  took  his  mother  into  his 
home  and  provided  for  her  declining  years  during 
the  remainder  of  her  life  under  his  own  roof. 

As  a  young  boy  Theodore  was  not  fond  of 
going  to  school,  and  his  teachers  made  many  a 
complaint  because  he  would  spend  his  time  writ- 
ing music  instead  of  studying  his  lessons.  Indeed, 
he  soon  became  so  proficient  in  musical  writing 
that  his  father  often  said  to  his  wife,  "  If  Theo- 


4  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

dore  continues  as  he  has  begun  he  will  be  a  great 
musician  one  of  these  days,  and  the  time  will 
come  when  we  shall  be  proud  of  him."  Mean- 
time, the  old  violin  of  his  baby  days  had  given 
place  to  a  better  one,  and  his  father  had  begun 
to  teach  him  seriously.  From  the  very  start, 
music — that  most  subtle  and  difficult  of  arts — 
presented  no  difficulties  to  him,  and  it  seemed,  as 
his  musical  training  progressed,  as  if  he  were 
simply  recalling  something  he  had  already  mas- 
tered in  a  previous  state  of  existence,  rather  than 
learning  something  new;  and  so  rapid  was  his 
progress  that  at  seven  years  of  age  he  could  read 
and  execute,  at  sight,  any  piece  of  music  put 
before  him,  and  had  already  made  his  debut  as  a 
concert  artist.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  blind 
King  George  of  Hanover  heard  him  play,  he 
offered  to  take  the  young  prodigy  under  the  royal 
patronage,  and  provide  for  his  education.  Why 
this  brilliant  offer  was  declined  I  do  not  know, 
but  it  came  at  the  time  the  Thomas  family  was 
about  to  emigrate  to  America,  and  probably  his 
mother  was  not  willing  to  leave  her  boy  behind. 
So  he  was  brought  to  the  New  World  in  1845,  a 
boy  of  ten,  to  educate  himself  and  carve  out  his 
own  career  as  best  he  might. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  outlook  for  a  great 
musical  career  in  America  was  promising  at  that 
time.  In  1845  New  York,  its  most  important 
city,  was  a  provincial  town  of  two-story  houses, 
and  the  pigs  ran  around  Broadway  and  ate  the 
refuse  thrown  out  for  their  benefit.  The  only 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  5 

resource  open  to  an  instrumentalist  was  to  join 
a  brass  band  and  play  for  street  parades  or 
dancing.  The  orchestra,  as  we  have  it  to-day, 
was  an  almost  unknown  quantity,  the  nearest 
approach  to  it  being  the  Philharmonic  Society, 
which  had  made  a  feeble  beginning  three  years 
previously,  and  the  small  so-called  orchestras  of 
a  dozen  musicians,  more  or  less,  which  played  in 
the  theaters.  Nor  were  there  any  facilities  for 
musical  education  to  be  found  in  this  crude  young 
city,  as  yet,  or  any  music  teachers  except  for  the 
piano  and  cornet.  In  matters  of  general  educa- 
tion the  conditions  could  not  have  been  much 
better;  for,  although  the  parents  of  Theodore 
Thomas  were  themselves  well  educated  for  that 
day,  they  did  not  attach  enough  importance  to  it 
to  force  the  unwilling  footsteps  of  their  musical 
son  into  school,  but  allowed  him  to  devote  all 
his  time  and  talents  to  music  alone,  and  to  earn- 
ing money  with  his  violin,  in  order  to  help  with 
the  family  expenses.  And  so  this  wonderful 
boy,  with  his  magnificent  intellect  reaching  eagerly 
in  all  directions  for  knowledge,  was  left  at  ten 
years  old  to  his  own  guidance,  to  grope  about 
blindly  in  the  effort  to  develop  himself  with  the 
slender  means  at  his  command  as  best  he  could. 

The  father  of  young  Thomas  was  but  little 
more  prosperous  in  America  than  he  had  been  in 
Europe,  and  Theodore  was  not  only  expected  to 
take  care  of  himself,  during  his  first  years  in 
America,  but  also  to  contribute  towards  the  fam- 
ily maintenance.  In  a  country  where,  as  yet,  there 


6  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

was  almost  no  demand  for  music,  except  as  a 
background  for  social  or  civic  functions,  this  was 
a  difficult  thing  to  do,  and  he  was  often  hard 
pressed  to  find  any  means  of  livelihood.  Once, 
in  an  emergency  more  pressing  even  than  usual, 
he  took  his  fiddle  into  a  saloon  and  played  and 
passed  around  the  hat,  as  we  still  see  the  little 
Italian  beggars  doing  on  the  streets  of  the  New 
York  of  to-day.  "  I  thought,"  he  afterwards 
said,  in  alluding  to  the  incident,  "  that  it  was 
better  to  play  in  a  saloon  for  half  an  hour  than 
to  be  in  debt  for  my  board." 

At  other  times  he  was  glad  to  get  engagements 
to  play  all  night  for  dancing,  at  balls  and  parties. 
But  his  artist's  soul  revolted  at  the  common 
musical  work  he  was  thus  obliged  to  do  for  a 
living;  he  realized,  child  though  he  was,  that  he 
must  not  let  it  demoralize  his  art,  and  resolved  to 
turn  the  long  monotonous  hours  during  which 
he  played  for  dancing  to  good  account,  by  imag- 
ining that  he  was  practicing  studies  and  exercises. 
Every  note  was  played  pure  and  true,  every 
rhythm  well  defined,  every  shade  of  expression 
drawn  with  care  and  delicacy,  through  the  long 
watches  of  these  wearisome  nights,  and  when,  at 
last,  the  dance  was  done,  and  the  tired  boy  packed 
his  violin  and  went  home  by  the  light  of  early 
dawn,  he  felt  with  satisfaction  that  his  time  had 
at  least  not  been  thrown  away. 

Probably  it  was  these  very  ballroom  per- 
formances which  developed  in  him  the  remarkable 
sense  of  rhythm  which  was  such  a  striking  char- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  7 

acteristic  of  his  later  work;  and  the  training  he 
imposed  upon  himself  there,  by  playing  with 
beauty  of  tone  and  accuracy  of  phrasing,  while 
still  conforming  to  the  strict  rhythm  of  the  dance, 
perhaps  laid  the  foundation  of  certain  qualities 
of  his  orchestral  conducting  in  after  life,  whereby 
he  was  able  to  sway  thousands  of  performers 
with  absolute  ease  and  certainty  through  the 
changing  rhythms  of  the  most  intricate  scores. 

In  addition  to  these  desultory  performances, 
Theodore  also  secured  a  regular  engagement  in 
the  orchestra  of  the  English  theater.  And  here, 
at  last,  he  found  some  intellectual  food;  for  it 
was  here  that  he  heard,  for  the  first  time,  the 
works  of  Shakespeare  and  Beethoven,  two  intel- 
lectual giants  whose  names  were  ever  afterwards 
linked  together  in  his  mind,  and  became  beacon 
lights  in  his  career.  There  were  great  actors  in 
the  Shakespearean  performances  of  those  days, 
and  the  works  they  gave  made  a  profound  im- 
pression on  our  twelve-year-old  boy,  and  the 
musical  selections  which  accompanied  them, 
though  probably  poorly  performed,  were  often 
from  the  works  of  the  masters,  so  that  his  asso- 
ciation with  this  theater  was  not  without  some 
educational  results. 

When  Theodore  was  fourteen  years  old,  his 
father  secured  an  engagement  for  himself  and 
his  son  to  play  the  first  and  second  horns  in  a 
marine  band  on  shipboard.  This  engagement 
was  continued  for  a  year,  and  was  an  important 
factor  in  Theodore's  education,  for  here  he  be- 


8  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

came  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  brass  choir 
of  the  orchestra;  although  when  someone  asked 
him  in  after  years  what  sort  of  a  horn  player  he 
had  been,  he  promptly  replied,  "  Damn  bad! " 

At  the  expiration  of  this  engagement,  the  whim 
seized  our  young  musician  to  make  a  concert  tour 
through  the  Southern  States.  So  he  secured  a 
horse,  had  a  few  concert  posters  printed,  announc- 
ing the  coming  appearance  of  the  wonderful  boy 
violinist  T.  T.,  packed  his  few  belongings  in  a 
valise,  and  purchased  a  large  pistol  for  use  in  case 
of  a  much-hoped-for  attack  by  brigands.  To  fur- 
ther enhance  the  adventurous  atmosphere  of  the 
journey,  he  determined  to  ride  on  a  straight  line, 
over  fences  and  ditches,  through  streams  and  for- 
ests, regardless  of  how  the  road  ran.  Like  young 
Lochinvar,  he  "  stopped  not  for  brake  and  stayed 
not  for  stone,  he  swam  the  Esk  river  where  ford 
there  was  none,"  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  the 
adventures  thus  carefully  planned  for  were  many 
and  varied.  In  one  town  he  was  called  upon  by 
a  deputation  from  the  city  fathers  with  the  re- 
quest that  he  leave  at  once,  as  they  were  con- 
vinced that  the  devil  was  in  his  violin. 

Boy-like  he  would  ride  until  he  reached  some 
pleasant  place,  and  amuse  himself  there  until  his 
money  was  spent,  then  he  would  take  out  some 
of  his  posters  and  tack  them  up  around  the  town, 
and  engage  the  dining-room  of  his  hotel  for  a 
concert.  When  the  time  for  the  concert  arrived 
he  would  stand  at  the  door  and  sell  tickets  until 
he  thought  his  audience  was  all  in,  after  which 


Theodore  Thomas  at  14 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  9 

he  would  hastily  run  up  to  his  room,  don  his 
concert  clothes,  seize  his  violin,  and  presently 
appear  at  the  stage  end  of  the  room  and  give  the 
concert.  In  this  romantic  fashion  he  whiled  away 
a  year,  but  even  as  a  child  Theodore  Thomas 
could  not  be  satisfied  long  in  idleness,  and  the 
fall  found  him  once  more  back  in  New  York. 

The  two  years  of  his  absence  had  wrought  a 
remarkable  change  in  the  musical  outlook  of  that 
city,  and  now  he  found  that  some  educational 
advantages  were  open  to  him  and  some  prospect 
of  an  artistic  career.  His  first  step  was  to  join 
the  little  orchestra  of  the  German  theater,  and 
he  often  said  in  later  life  that  it  was  here  that  he 
received  his  first  real  intellectual  impetus  through 
hearing  the  plays  of  Goethe,  Schiller,  and  the 
others  master  minds  of  German  literature.  He 
was  now  fifteen,  and  remarkably  mature  in  mind 
for  that  age.  He  felt  keenly  that  he  needed  more 
education,  but  no  one  suggested  to  him  that  what 
he  lacked  was  general  knowledge,  and  that  he 
ought  to  go  to  school.  So  his  only  thought  was 
to  broaden  his  knowledge  of  art.  At  this  time 
it  was  his  intention  to  become  a  composer  and 
violin  virtuoso,  and  with  this  end  in  view  he 
began  those  exhaustive  musical  researches  which 
ended  only  with  his  life,  and  eventually  made 
him  one  of  the  most  profound  scholars  of  his 
day. 

Equally  thorough  were  his  self-imposed  studies 
in  the  technical  department  of  his  art,  and  no 
opportunity  was  neglected  which  brought  him 


10  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

improvement  in  executive  knowledge  of  the  violin. 
In  this  connection  nothing  was  more  helpful  to 
young  Thomas  than  his  engagement  as  one  of 
the  first  violins  of  the  Italian  Opera  company  of 
New  York,  which  began  when  he  was  sixteen, 
in  the  year  1851.  At  this  time  the  greatest  sing- 
ers the  world  has  ever  heard  were  singing  in  New 
York.  Thomas  was  not  slow  to  perceive  that 
they — especially  Jenny  Lind  and  Henrietta  Sontag 
— possessed  the  true  secret  of  tone-quality,  and  it 
occurred  to  him  that  the  same  kind  of  tone  which 
they  produced  with  the  voice  could  also  be  created 
on  the  violin.  Acting  on  this  theory,  as  he  listened 
to  these  great  artists  in  concert  or  opera,  night 
after  night,  he  endeavored  to  reproduce  their 
singing,  tone  for  tone,  on  his  beloved  instrument, 
and  thus  established  his  ideal  of  tone-quality  on 
a  totally  different  basis  from  that  generally  in 
use,  for  the  best  German  violinists  of  that  time 
used  a  loud,  somewhat  harsh  tone,  wholly  lacking 
in  the  rich,  velvety  softness  so  familiar  to  us  now. 
From  these  singers,  also,  he  learned  the  pure 
Italian  style  which  was  such  a  striking  char- 
acteristic of  his  interpretations  of  the  classic  mas- 
ters. In  after  years  he  was  wont  to  advise 
singers  to  study  the  violin,  and  violinists  to  study 
singing,  saying  that  by  violin  practice  the  singer 
would  perfect  the  ear,  while  the  violinist  would 
learn  from  vocal  studies  a  pure  and  musical 
quality  of  tone.  Thomas  always  seemed  to  rank 
Jenny  Lind  and  Henrietta  Sontag  as  in  a  class 
by  themselves,  and  considered  them  as  the  most 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  11 

perfect  and  greatest  exponents  of  their  art  that 
the  world  has  ever  seen. 

Carl  Eckert,  a  distinguished  European  musi- 
cian, spent  the  winter  of  1851  in  New  York  as 
conductor  of  the  Italian  Opera  Company.  He 
recognized  immediately  the  ability  of  young 
Thomas,  and  appointed  him  leader  of  the  second 
violins.  This  was  a  very  responsible  position  for 
one  so  young,  and  brought  him  at  once  into  close 
contact  with  an  experienced  and  able  musician. 
His  work  under  Eckert  was  of  the  greatest  value 
to  him,  for  it  taught  him  to  maintain  order  and 
system  in  the  orchestra,  and  to  manage  musicians 
with  tact  and  justice.  It  also  opened  his  eyes  to  the 
possibilities  of  the  "  many-headed  instrument " 
under  favorable  conditions.  Eckert  was  one 
of  the  few  conductors  for  whom  Thomas  retained, 
through  life,  a  genuine  respect  and  admiration, 
and  whom  he  characterized  as  a  master  of  his  art. 
Eckert  did  not  remain  long  in  this  country  and 
was  succeeded  by  Arditi  in  1852.  Under  this 
conductor  Thomas  was  again  promoted,  this  time 
to  the  stand  of  the  Concert-meister,  the  highest 
position  in  the  orchestra,  and  one  which  in  his 
case  was  peculiarly  important  because  Arditi 
placed  in  his  hands  the  engaging  of  all  the  other 
members  of  the  orchestra,  and  many  other  matters 
not  ordinarily  included  in  the  duties  of  the  Con- 
cert-meister. This  work  taught  him  the  practical 
business  side  of  orchestral  management,  and  all 
the  necessary  details  of  contracts,  salaries,  etc., 
and  was  important  to  him  in  this  way,  although 


12  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

he  gained  no  fresh  artistic  impetus  from  his  asso- 
ciation with  Arditi,  whom  he  held  in  slight  esteem 
as  a  conductor. 

In  1853  Thomas,  now  a  youth  of  eighteen, 
for  the  first  time  heard  and  played  in  a  large 
and  complete  orchestra.  Jullien,  the  famous 
European  conductor,  came  to  America  and  or- 
ganized a  large  orchestra  in  New  York,  with  which 
he  gave  popular  concerts  at  Castle  Garden  during 
the  season  of  1853-1854.  Jullien,  whom  Thomas 
has  characterized  as  "  The  Charlatan  of  all  ages," 
was  a  curious  mixture  of  absurd  affectations  and 
a  genuine  love  of  art.  His  orchestra  was  always 
very  large,  and  composed  of  the  best  players,  and 
he  worked  very  honestly,  according  to  his  lights, 
to  popularize  symphonic  music  by  playing  it  on 
all  his  programmes,  interspersed  with  light  num- 
bers, in  much  the  same  way  that  Thomas  himself 
adopted  in  after  years.  But  the  music  he  asso- 
ciated with  it  was  common  and  incongruous,  and 
he  made  even  the  symphonies  themselves  absurd 
by  his  fantastic  method  of  conducting.  Clothed 
with  elaborate  care,  his  coat  thrown  widely  open 
to  display  a  white  waistcoat  and  an  embroidered 
shirt  with  wristbands  of  extravagant  length,  turned 
back  over  his  cuffs,  and  wearing  a  moustache  and 
a  wealth  of  long  black  hair,  he  was  a  startling 
figure.  He  wielded  his  baton,  encouraged  his 
forces,  and  repressed  the  turbulence  of  his  audi- 
ence with  indescribable  gravity  and  magnificence; 
went  through  all  the  pantomime  of  the  British 
Army  or  Navy  Quadrille,  seized  a  violin  or  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  13 

piccolo  at  the  moment  of  climax,  and  at  last  sank 
exhausted  into  his  gorgeous  velvet  chair.  All  com- 
positions of  Beethoven  he  conducted  with  a 
jeweled  baton,  and  in  a  clean  pair  of  gloves, 
handed  him  at  the  moment  on  a  silver  salver!  * 

As  may  be  imagined,  an  artist  of  this  kind  did 
not  impress  Theodore  Thomas  very  favorably, 
even  at  that  age,  but  his  engagement  with  Jullien 
was  nevertheless  of  great  benefit  to  him,  for, 
amongst  the  musicians  brought  over  for  this  or- 
chestra, were  a  number  of  wood-wind  players  of 
whom  Thomas  said,  "  New  York  never  saw  the 
like,  before  or  since."  From  these  men  he  gained 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  this  important  class  of 
orchestral  instruments.  It  is  probable  that  he 
gained  from  Jullien  some  valuable  hints,  which 
he  made  use  of  afterwards,  as  to  popularizing 
symphonic  music  in  Garden  Concerts,  and  he 
certainly  learned  also  how  not  to  do  it! 

Thomas  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society  of  New  York — now  in  the 
twelfth  year  of  its  existence — in  1854,  and  con- 
tinued in  close  association  with  it,  first  as  a  violin 
player  and  afterwards  as  its  conductor,  for  thirty- 
six  years,  almost  consecutively. 

The  year  1855  was  an  important  one  for 
Thomas,  for  it  brought  him  under  one  of  the 
best  influences  of  his  life,  both  in  music  and 
friendship.  It  was  in  this  year  that  William 
Mason,  a  refined,  sincere,  and  highly-educated 
musician,  organized  a  quartette  of  string  players, 

*  See  Grove's  "  Dictionary  of  Music  ";  art.  Jullien. 


14  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  give  a  series  of  chamber  concerts  in  New  York, 
and  invited  Thomas  to  be  its  first  violin.  A  man 
of  his  caliber  naturally  selected  for  his  musical 
associates  men  who  were  not  only  fine  musicians, 
but  who  were  also  refined  and  sincere  in  character. 
Thomas  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  quartette, 
and  had  probably  had  fewer  educational  advan- 
tages than  any  of  the  others,  but  his  genius  soon 
dominated  in  all  musical  matters.  In  his  interesting 
book,  "  Memoirs  of  a  Musical  Life,"  Mason  thus 
writes  of  him,  "  It  became  apparent,  almost  from 
the  start,  that  Theodore  Thomas  had  in  him  the 
genius  of  conductor  ship.  He  possessed  by  nature 
a  thoroughly  musical  organization,  and  was  a  born 
conductor  and  leader.  .  .  .  From  the  time  he 
took  the  leadership,  free  and  untrammeled,  the 
quartette  improved  rapidly.  His  was  the  domi- 
nating influence,  felt  and  acknowledged  by  us  all." 
But  if  Thomas  took  the  lead  in  the  musical  work 
of  the  quartette,  on  the  other  hand,  he  yielded  him- 
self in  many  ways  to  the  influences  of  his  gifted 
colleagues.  The  other  members  of  this  famous 
organization,  which  Thomas  often  called  the 
"  cornerstone  of  American  music,"  were  J.  Mosen- 
thal,  Carl  Bergmann,  and  G.  Matzka.  Mason 
played  the  piano,  and  later  the  place  of  Berg- 
mann was  taken  by  F.  Bergner.  The  friendships 
made  with  these  eminent  men  were  continued 
through  life,  and,  beginning  as  they  did  just  at  the 
formative  period  of  his  character,  the  influence 
they  exerted  was  of  great  value  to  Thomas,  both 
as  man  and  musician. 


Theodore  Thomas  at  22 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  15 

By  nature  Thomas  was  an  idealist.  In  spite 
of  his  splendid  physique,  his  strong  passions,  his 
abounding  vitality,  and  the  unrestrained  liberty 
which  had  been  his  from  early  childhood,  he  was, 
in  mind  and  heart,  as  delicate  and  sensitive  as  a 
girl.  In  his  youthful  amusements  he  was  rollick- 
ing and  boisterous — sometimes  a  regular  dare- 
devil— but  he  was  never  common  or  vicious. 
Speaking  of  this,  he  once  said,  "  In  my  youth,  I 
threw  away  every  twenty-four  hours  enough  vi- 
tality to  have  supplied  six  men,  and  never  went  to 
bed  if  I  could  help  it.  But  I  never  did  anything 
which  I  would  be  ashamed  to  tell  my  boys  about 
now."  Many  a  wild  story  is  told  of  his  mid- 
night escapades,  amongst  them  one  which  ended 
by  his  being  chased  by  an  angry  policeman. 
Quick  as  thought,  Thomas  swung  himself  up  into 
a  convenient  tree,  and  when  the  policeman  shouted 
to  him  to  come  down,  he  pulled  his  violin  out  of 
its  case  and  played  such  infectiously  merry  tunes 
that  the  policeman  began  to  grin,  and  walked 
off,  muttering  something  about  "  Only  that 
Thomas  boy,"  and  molested  him  no  further!  At 
another  time  he,  one  day,  went  into  the  piano 
warerooms  of  the  Steinway  firm,  just  as  William 
Steinway  was  about  to  conclude  the  sale  of  a  fine 
grand  piano  to  a  lady  customer.  Thomas  lis- 
tened a  few  moments  to  Steinway's  eulogium  on 
the  piano,  and  suddenly,  to  the  dismay  of  the 
dealer,  he  turned  to  the  lady  very  seriously,  and 
said,  "  Madame,  I  advise  you  not  to  listen  to 
what  Mr.  Steinway  is  telling  you,  he  merely  wishes 


16  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  fool  you  into  buying  a  very  inferior  instrument, 
you  had  better  have  nothing  to  do  with  him." 
Steinway  turned  upon  the  incorrigible  youth  in 
a  rage,  whereupon  Thomas  uttered  a  war-whoop 
of  delight  and,  jumping  over  each  of  the  pianos 
which  stood  in  a  long  row  down  the  length  of 
the  wareroom,  disappeared  out  of  the  back  door, 
and  left  the  irate  Steinway  to  conclude  his  sale 
as  best  he  might. 

But  in  spite  of  all  kinds  of  wild  pranks  and 
daring  escapades,  he,  nevertheless,  held  himself 
with  such  a  strong  hand  through  youth  and  early 
manhood,  that  he  never  lost  his  ideality,  or  tar- 
nished the  purity  of  his  soul,  and  as  he  matured 
in  years  and  experience,  he  became  sedulously 
careful  not  only  in  regard  to  his  words  and  actions, 
but  even  in  regard  to  his  thoughts.  He  would  not 
listen  to  vulgar  talk,  go  to  questionable  plays, 
or  read  immoral,  or  even  trashy  books,  for  fear 
of  poisoning  his  mind  with  demoralizing  ideas 
which  would  impair  the  purity  of  his  interpretation 
of  the  music  of  the  classic  masters.  "  I  avoid 
trashy  stuff,"  he  said,  "  otherwise,  when  I  come 
before  the  public  to  interpret  master-works,  and 
my  soul  should  be  inspired  with  noble  and  im- 
pressive emotions,  these  evil  thoughts  run  around 
in  my  head  like  squirrels  and  spoil  it  all.  A 
musician  must  keep  his  heart  pure  and  his  mind 
clean  if  he  wishes  to  elevate,  instead  of  debasing 
his  art.  And  here  we  have  the  difference  between 
the  classic  and  the  modern  school  of  composers. 
Those  old  giants  said  their  prayers  when  they 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  17 

wished  to  write  an  immortal  work.     The  modern 
man  takes  a  drink." 

For  a  young  man  with  a  nature  like  this  to  come 
into  constant  and  intimate  association  with  the 
refined  and  scholarly  men  of  the  Mason-Thomas 
Quartette,  must  have  brought  out  all  that  was 
best  and  truest  in  himself,  and  done  much  to  form 
and  strengthen  those  high  standards  to  which  his 
after  life  was  dedicated.  Nor  was  it  in  character- 
building  alone  that  Thomas  was  benefited  by  his 
work  in  the  Quartette.  It  was  Dr.  Mason's 
object  to  make  its  performances  conform  to  the 
highest  standard  of  similar  organizations  in 
Europe — notably  those  which  he  had  heard  in  the 
salon  of  Liszt,  of  whom  he  was  a  pupil.  This 
idea  found  an  enthusiastic  echo  in  the  breast  of 
Thomas,  in  whom  the  love  of  perfection  was  a 
dominating  trait  of  character.  The  programmes 
were  at  first  of  a  somewhat  miscellaneous  charac- 
ter, containing  even  solo  numbers  for  singers,  etc. 
But  gradually  they  became  more  and  more 
aesthetic,  until  at  last  they  reached  a  point  where 
even  Thomas  could  carry  them  no  higher.  After 
this,  solos  of  every  kind  were  generally  strictly 
debarred,  and  nothing  but  chamber  music,  pure 
and  simple,  was  given  a  place.  The  programmes 
generally  consisted  of  three  numbers,  of  which  the 
first  and  last  were  for  the  string  quartette,  and 
the  second  was  either  a  sonata  or  trio,  in  which 
the  piano  took  part.  The  first  programme  of  the 
first  season  is  appended,  as  well  as  all  the  pro- 
grammes of  the  final  season.  It  was  to  these 


18  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

chamber  concert  programmes  that  Tausig  re- 
ferred more  especially,  when  he  wrote,  on  the 
back  of  a  photograph  of  himself,  which  he  gave 
Thomas,  "  To  Theodore  Thomas,  the  maker  of 
the  best  and  most  authoritative  programmes  in 
the  world." 

MASON-THOMAS  CHAMBER  CONCERTS 

First   Concert 

November  27,   1855 

Programme 

Quartet  in  D  minor,  ceuvre  posthume Schubert 

Romanze  from  Tarmhaeuser,  "  O  du  mein  holder 

Abendstern  "..... , Wagner 

Otto  Feder 

(a)  Fantaisie   Impromptu Chopin 

(b)  Deux  Preludes  in  D  flat  and  G,  op.  24 Heller 

William  Mason 
Variations  Concertantes  for  'cello  and  piano .  Mendelssohn 

Song,  "  Feldwaerts  flog  ein  Voegelein  " Nicolai 

Otto  Feder 
Trio  in  B  major,  op.  8 Brahms 

Thirteenth  Season — 1868 

Programmes 

I 

Quintet  in  G  minor.  .. Mozart 

Sonata  in  A,  op.  47 Beethoven 

Quartet  in  D  minor,  posthumous Schubert 

II 

Quartet  in  A  minor,  op.  9 .1 Volkmann 

Trio  in  B  flat,  op.  99   Schubert 

Quartet  in  E  minor,  op.  59,  No.  2 Beethoven 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  19 

III 

Quartet  in  D  minor Haydn 

Trio  in  B  flat,  op.  97. Beethoven 

Quartet  in  A,  op.  41,  No.  3 Schumann 

IV 

Quartet  in  D  minor,  op.  77 Raff 

Quintet  in  E  flat,  op.  44 Schumann 

Quartet  in  B,  op.  18,  No.  6 Beethoven 

V 

Octet,  op.  32 , Spohr 

"  Faschingsschwank  aus  Wein,"  for  piano  .  .  .  Schumann 
Quartet  in  B  flat,  op.  130 .Beethoven 

VI 

Quartet  in  D  minor  (K.  421) Mozart 

Sonata  for  piano  and  'cello,  in  G  minor,  op.  5, 

No.  2 Beethoven 

Sonata  for  piano  and  'cello,  in  G  minor,  op.  22 .  Schumann 

Sonata  for  piano,  in  G  minor,  op.  22 Schumann 

Octet  in  E  flat,  op.  20 Mendelssohn 

In  order  that  the  performance  might  be  worthy 
of  the  compositions  rendered,  the  Quartette  gave 
three  mornings  a  week  to  rehearsing  the  six  pro- 
grammes which  made  up  the  repertoire  of  the 
year,  although  they  did  not  make  enough  money 
from  the  concerts  to  pay  the  expenses  of  giving 
them,  and  Mason  quietly  made  good  the  annual 
deficit  from  his  own  pocket,  without  even  saying 
anything  about  it  to  the  rest.  It  was  this  ex- 
haustive study  of  master-works,  especially  those 
of  Beethoven,  continued  through  fourteen  years, 
which  gave  Thomas  his  mastery  of  the  string 


20  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

choir  of  the  orchestra,  and  his  profound  insight 
into  the  classic  school  of  music. 

Nor  was  he  satisfied  with  even  the  severe  train- 
ing he  had  so  far  imposed  upon  himself;  but 
from  this  time  on,  throughout  his  whole  life, 
every  moment  which  could  be  snatched  from  his 
daily  duties  was  devoted  to  the  study  of,  not 
only  the  art,  but  also  the  so-called  science  of 
music.  Harmony,  fugue,  counterpoint,  thorough- 
bass, acoustics — any  and  every  thing  that  had  to  do 
with  his  art,  he  absorbed  as  sand  absorbs  water, 
and  still  was  never  satisfied,  but  always  reaching 
out  with  passionate  eagerness  for  more  and  more 
knowledge  as  long  as  he  lived.  "  I  still  progress 
in  my  art,"  he  said  a  few  weeks  before  his  death, 
"  because  I  am  still  studying  and  learning." 

As  a  virtuoso,  Thomas  was  now  rapidly  rising 
to  pre-eminence,  and  the  following  notice  from 
Dwight's  Journal  of  Music f  printed  in  1856, 
describes  his  violin  playing  at  this  period: 

"  Decidedly  the  most  wonderful  performance  of  the 
concert,  which  closed  the  Mason-Thomas  series  this  sea- 
son, was  Mr.  Thomas'  playing  of  the  celebrated  Chaconne 
by  Bach.  This  young  artist  (and  very  young  he  is,  al- 
though the  stamp  of  genius  matures  his  almost  boyish 
face),  bids  fair  to  rise  high  in  the  musical  world.  .  .  . 
Young  Thomas  played  the  whole  unfalteringly,  without 
notes,  and  consequently  with  all  the  more  freedom  and 
abandon.  His  technic,  too,  gives  proof  of  untiring  in- 
dustry in  practice,  but  more  than  all,  his  evident  enjoy- 
ment of  what  he  was  playing,  and  his  thorough  entering 
into  the  spirit  of  the  music,  showed  the  true  artist  in  him. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  21 

His  choice  of  pieces  also  betokens  real  love  of  art  and 
reverence.  He  never  plays  any  but  good  music.  Such 
men  are,  or  ought  to  be,  the  true  missionaries  of  art  in 
this  country." 

The  years  between  1855  and  1860  passed  in 
quiet  but  busy  uneventfulness  for  the  young  mu- 
sician, and  the  only  unusual  happenings  were  his 
first  two  visits  to  Chicago — then  a  brisk  little 
Western  city,  already  beginning  to  take  an  interest 
in  things  musical.  These  trips  were  made  in 
1856  and  1859,  respectively,  and  on  both  tours 
Thomas  was  a  member  of  a  troupe  of  which 
Carl  Formes,  the  basso,  was  the  star.  At  the 
concert  of  1859,  Thomas  played  the  Kreutzer 
Sonata  of  Beethoven,  and  the  Illinois  Staats- 
Zeitung  ended  its  notice  of  the  performance  thus, 
"  During  the  last  two  years  Thomas  has  become 
America's  most  accomplished  violinist." 


CHAPTER  II 

1860-1867 

FIRST  EXPERIENCE  AS  CONDUCTOR APPOINTED  CONDUCTOR 

OF  THE  ITALIAN  OPERA FIRST  ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT 

FOUNDS  THE  THEODORE  THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  1864 MAR- 
RIES MISS  RHODES CONDUCTS  SUMMER  CONCERTS  AT 

BELVEDERE      LION      PARK SYMPHONY      SOIREES INAUG- 

RATES  SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS  AT  TERRACE  GARDEN 
1866 APPOINTED  CONDUCTOR  OF  THE  BROOKLYN  PHIL- 
HARMONIC SOCIETY BUILDING  OF  STEINWAY  HALL 

FIRST  EUROPEAN  TRIP VON  BUELOW TAUSIG BER- 
LIOZ 

THOMAS  was  now  a  man  of  twenty-two,  and 
never  was  musician  better  equipped  for  his  future 
career  than  this  self -trained  product  of  a  new,  and 
as  yet,  unmusical  country.  There  was  not  a 
branch  of  his  art,  either  technical  or  theoretical, 
of  which  he  was  not  a  master,  and,  as  yet,  the 
only  master  in  America;  and  it  followed,  as  a 
perfectly  natural  sequence,  that  destiny  should 
soon  assign  to  him  the  role  of  national  educator. 
He  still  retained  his  position  as  Concert-meister 
in  Ullman's  opera  company,  which  was  now  under 
the  conductorship  of  Carl  Anschuetz.  But  the 
time  had  come,  at  last,  when  he  was  himself  to  be 
promoted  to  the  conductor's  stand.  This  im- 
portant advancement  came,  as  often  happens,  very 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  23 

unexpectedly,  and  is  thus  described  by  William 
Mason:  * 

"  One  evening  (December  7,  1860)  Thomas  came  home 
tired  out  from  his  work,  and  after  dinner  had  settled  him- 
self in  a  comfortable  chair  for  a  good  rest,  when  a  message 
came  to  him  from  the  Academy  of  Music,  about  two  blocks 
away.  An  opera  season  was  in  progress  there.  The  or- 
chestra was  in  its  place  and  the  audience  seated,  when 
word  was  received  that  Anschuetz,  the  conductor,  was  ill. 
.  .  .  Would  Thomas  come  to  the  rescue  and  conduct  the 
opera  ?  He  had  never  conducted  opera  before  and  the  work 
for  the  evening  (Halevy's  *  Jewess,')  was  unfamiliar  to 
him.  .  .  .  He  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then  said,  '  I 
will.'  He  arose  quickly,  got  himself  into  his  dress  suit, 
hurried  to  the  Academy,  and  conducted  the  opera  as  if  it 
were  a  common  experience.  Thomas  was  not  the  man  to 
say,  *  Give  me  until  next  week,'  he  was  always  ready 
for  every  opportunity." 

The  position  thus  suddenly  achieved  proved  to 
be  a  permanent  one,  and  the  correspondent  of 
Dwight's  Journal  of  Music  sketched  the  young 
musician  as  he  appeared  in  this  new  and  important 
role,  in  the  following  words : 

"  The  place  of  Carl  Anschuetz  is  taken  by  Theodore 
Thomas,  the  young  violinist,  who  looks  '  severe  in  youthful 
beauty,'  as  he  wields  the  baton — rather  nervously  it  must 
be  confessed — and  directs  the  performances  of  venerable, 
spectacled,  and  bald-headed  'cellists  and  trombonists  old 
enough  to  be  his  grandfathers.  It  is  always  a  treat  to  see 

*  See  "  Memories  of  a  Musical  Life,"  William  Mason,  p.  200. 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

him  in  the  orchestra.  He  plays  the  violin  with  such  care- 
less grace  that  even  his  elevation  to  the  conductorship  does 
not  reconcile  me  to  the  loss  of  his  violin  performance." 

At  the  time  Thomas  was  elected  to  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  in  1854,  the  chief  musical 
authority  in  New  York  was  Carl  Bergmann,  a 
talented  musician  who  had  come  to  this  country  as 
'cello  player  in  a  small  orchestra  named  the 
"  Germania,"  of  which  he  afterwards  became  the 
conductor.  When  the  "  Germania  "  orchestra  dis- 
banded, Bergmann  at  first  accepted  an  engage- 
ment in  Chicago,  where  he  was  the  conductor  of 
the  Chicago  Philharmonic  Society  during  the  win- 
ter of  1854-55.  In  1855,  however,  the  conductor 
of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society  having 
been  taken  ill,  the  position  was  offered  to  him  and 
he  accepted  it  and,  returning  to  the  East,  settled 
permanently  in  New  York.  Many  years  later, 
when  Thomas  was  asked  to  write  a  brief  sketch 
of  Bergmann  as  a  musician,  he  found  it  difficult 
to  formulate  any  satisfactory  estimate  of  this 
peculiar  character,  and  wrote  and  rewrote  his 
remarks  many  times  before  he  let  them  stand. 
Thomas  and  Bergmann  were  associated  very 
closely  in  their  musical  work,  for  Thomas  played 
under  Bergmann  in  the  Philharmonic  orchestra; 
while  Bergmann  played  under  Thomas  in  the 
Mason-Thomas  Quartette.  Thomas  had  a  high 
respect  for  Bergmann's  ability,  but  while  he 
acknowledged  his  talent  he,  nevertheless,  found 
him  lacking  in  thoroughness,  nor  was  his  standard 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  25 

of   performance   in   keeping   with   the   ideals    of 
Thomas.    In  writing  of  him,  Thomas  said: 

"  He  gave  the  impression  that  he  never  worked  much, 
nor  cared  to  do  so.  He  lacked  most  of  the  qualities  of  a 
first-rank  conductor,  but  he  had  one  great  redeeming 
quality  for  those  days,  which  soon  brought  him  into  promi- 
nence, he  possessed  an  artistic  nature  and  was  in  sympathy 
with  the  so-called  '  Zukunft  Musik.'  He  did  not  have  force 
enough,  however,  to  make  an  impression,  and  had  no  stand- 
ard. As  a  'cello  player,  he  was  only  a  moderate  per- 
former, but  he  did  everything  with  a  certain  grace.  ...  I 
always  felt  that  under  favorable  circumstances,  Berg- 
mann  might  have  been  of  greater  service  to  his  adopted 
country."  * 

A  nature  like  that  of  Thomas  could  not  long 
be  satisfied  with  either  the  restricted  field  of 
quartette  music,  or  the  mediocre  standard  of  the 
Philharmonic  orchestra.  Nor  was  the  opera  a 
wholly  congenial  branch  of  art  to  him.  In  1862 
therefore,  he  began  to  extend  his  field  of  action, 
and  we  find  for  the  first  time  amongst  his  records 
the  announcement  of  an  orchestral  concert  under 
his  own  direction.  The  programme  of  this  first 
;' Thomas  Concert"  was  as  follows: 

ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT— MAY  13,  1862 
Theodore  Thomas,  Conductor 

Programme 
Overture,  "  The  Flying  Dutchman,"  (First  time  in 

America) ,..,.. Wagner 

Hymn,  "  Lord,  be  Thou  with  Us  " .Apel 

The  Teutonia  Choral  Society 
*  See  "  Theodore  Thomas,  a  Musical  Autobiography,"  p.  36. 


26  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Aria,   "  Bel   raggio  " .Rossini 

Mme.  de  Laussan 

Violin  Concerto,  A  minor i.  .  .  .Molique 

B.  Wollenhaupt 

Quartette  for  two  pianos,  "  Les  Contrastes  ".  .Moscheles 
Messrs.  Mills,  Goldbeck,  Hartmann,  and  Mason 

Aria,    "  Ernani  " , Verdi 

Mme.  de  Laussan 
Overture  and  incidental  music  to  "  Streuensee  " 

(First  time  in  America) ...  .Meyerbeer 

Orchestra,  Chorus,  and  Harp  Obligato 

In  this  modest  venture  the  orchestra  numbered 
but  little  more  than  forty  players,  and  Thomas 
confined  his  own  part  of  the  programme  to  the 
opening  and  closing  numbers.  But  it  was  char- 
acteristic of  him  that  these  two  numbers  were 
compositions  which  had  never  been  played  in 
America  before,  and  especially  characteristic  that 
one  of  them,  the  Overture  to  the  "  Flying  Dutch- 
man," should  have  been  music  of  a  school  so 
progressive  that  it  was  then  ironically  called  "  The 
music  of  the  future."  Thus  early  in  his  career 
did  Thomas  begin  to  provide  that  America  should 
be  abreast  of  the  Old  World  in  hearing  the 
current  musical  literature. 

The  first  Thomas  Concert  was  sufficiently  suc- 
cessful to  encourage  its  young  promoter  to  more 
efforts  in  the  same  line,  and  he  has  given,  in  the 
following  words,  his  own  account  of  what  one 
may  call  his  dedication  to  his  life  work: 

"  In  1862  I  concluded  to  devote  my  energies  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  public  taste  for  instrumental  music.  Our 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  27 

chamber  concerts  had  created  a  spasmodic  interest,  our 
programmes  were  reprinted  as  models  of  their  kind,  even 
in  Europe,  and  our  performances  had  reached  a  high 
standard.  As  concert  violinist,  I  was  at  that  time  popu- 
lar, and  played  much.  But  what  this  country  needed 
most  of  all  to  make  it  musical,  was  a  good  orchestra,  and 
plenty  of  concerts  within  reach  of  the  people.  The  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  with  a  body  of  but  sixty  players,  and 
only  five  yearly  concerts,  was  the  only  organized  orches- 
tra which  represented  symphonic  music  in  this  country. 
.  .  .  The  orchestra  was  often  incomplete.  If  a  member 
had  an  engagement  elsewhere  he  would  go  to  it  instead 
of  to  the  rehearsal.  When  one  of  the  wind  choir  was 
absent,  his  place  would  be  filled  as  best  it  could.  A  clarinet 
or  oboe  part  would  be  played  on  a  violin,  or  a  bassoon  on 
a  'cello,  etc.  The  conductor  could  not,  therefore,  rehearse 
as  he  ought.  .  .  .  Under  these  circumstances  justice  could 
not  be  done  to  the  standard,  much  less  to  the  modern  and 
contemporary  works.  Such  conditions  barred  all  prog- 
ress. I  had  been  prominent  before  the  public  in  chamber 
concerts,  and  as  concertmeister  of  the  opera  since  1855, 
and  during  later  years  as  conductor  also  of  opera  and 
concerts,  and  I  thought  the  time  had  come  to  form  an 
orchestra  for  concert  purposes.  I  therefore  called  a 
meeting  of  the  foremost  musicians  of  New  York,  told 
them  of  my  plans  to  popularize  instrumental  music,  and 
asked  for  their  cooperation.  I  began  by  giving  some  or- 
chestral concerts  at  Irving  Hall,  and  conducted  some  of 
the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  concerts,  alternating  with 
Theodore  Eisfelt."  * 

For  two  years  Thomas  gave  occasional  orches- 
tral concerts  in  New  York,  as  opportunity  offered ; 
but  he  soon  discovered  that  he  could  not  reach 

*  See  "  Theodore  Thomas,  a  Musical  Autobiography,"  p.  50. 


28  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  high  standard  he  was  aiming  for  by  this  kind 
of  desultory  work,  and  he  decided  that  he  must 
have  an  orchestra  of  his  own.  Having  reached 
this  decision,  he  did  not  stop  to  ask  where  a  penni- 
less youth,  like  himself,  was  to  get  the  money  to 
pay  the  salaries  of  a  large  body  of  musicians, 
or  to  meet  the  other  large  expenses  of  the  or- 
ganization, but  he  simply  engaged  his  men  and 
announced  his  concerts,  in  perfect  confidence  that 
he  could  carry  his  gigantic  scheme  to  a  successful 
consummation.  To-day,  in  the  same  city,  now 
become  musical  through  half  a  century  of  cul- 
ture, the  promoters  of  a  similar  plan  for  a  perma- 
nent orchestra,  found  it  necessary  to  raise  a  guar- 
antee fund  of  ninety  thousand  dollars  per  annum 
before  they  could  venture  to  start  such  an  insti- 
tution. But  Thomas  had  no  guarantee  fund,  either 
then  or  at  any  other  time  in  New  York,  and 
consequently  he  organized  his  orchestra  without 
it  and  assumed  the  whole  financial  responsibility 
himself. 

The  orchestra,  thus  organized,  was  called  the 
'  Theodore  Thomas  Orchestra,"  and  gave  its  first 
concert  in  Irving  Hall,   on  December  3,   1864, 
with  the  following  programme: 

Symphony,  No.  8,  F  major.  ...  .,. .Beethoven 

Scena  and  Aria,  "  Non  phi  di  fiore  " Mozart 

Miss  Fanny  Raymond 
Concerto  in  F  major,  op.  21,  Larghetto  and  Finale .  Chopin 

Mr.  S.  B.  Mills 
Suite,  op.  113,  in  D F.  Lachner 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  29 

Cavatina,  "  Ah,  S'estinto  " Mercadante 

Miss  Fanny  Raymond 
Dramatic  Symphony,  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  Second 

part Berlioz 

This  concert  was  the  first  of  a  regular  series  of 
Symphony  "  Soirees,"  as  evening  performances 
were  called  in  those  days.  They  were  very  suc- 
cessful artistically,  but  only  moderately  so  finan- 
cially. This,  however,  did  not  discourage  our 
young  enthusiast,  for  he  knew  that,  as  yet,  only 
a  very  small  percentage  of  the  American  public 
understood,  or  enjoyed  symphonic  music;  and  al- 
ready he  had  resolved  that  his  mission  in  life  should 
be  to  teach  the  people  to  know  and  love  the 
highest  form  of  music,  and  to  give  it  to  them  in 
the  most  perfect  manner.  In  short,  he  wished  to 
raise  his  beloved  art  from  the  low  level  of  a  mere 
amusement,  to  its  rightful  place  beside  its  sister 
arts  of  painting,  sculpture,  and  architecture.  It 
was  his  belief  that  as  soon  as  this  should  be 
accomplished,  and  the  public  should  learn  the  true 
value  and  importance  of  music,  as  an  art, 
the  wealthy  men  and  women  of  New  York  would 
come  forward  and  endow  a  permanent  orchestra, 
and  engage  him  as  its  conductor,  thus  relieving 
him  from  the  great  financial  burden  of  its  mainte- 
nance and  enabling  him  to  devote  his  whole  time 
and  attention  to  making  the  orchestra  as  com- 
plete and  its  performances  as  perfect  as  any  in 
the  world.  A  few  years  of  sacrifice  and  hard  work 
would  accomplish  this,  he  thought,  and  so  he  en- 


30  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

tered,  with  hope  and  confidence,  upon  one  of  the 
longest  and  most  arduous  careers  that  was  ever 
dedicated  to  the  cause  of  art  and  humanity. 

The  year  1864  was  an  epoch-making  period  in 
the  life  of  Thomas  for  more  than  one  reason. 
Not  only  was  it  the  year  in  which  he  founded  the 
Thomas  Orchestra,  but  it  was  also  the  year  in 
which  he  married  his  first  wife.  Minna  L.  Rhodes 
was  the  brilliant  and  highly  educated  daughter  of 
an  old  New  York  family.  At  the  time  Thomas 
met  her  she  was  a  pupil  at  Miss  Porter's  famous 
school  in  Farmington.  Amongst  the  educational 
advantages  which  Miss  Porter  considered  essential 
for  her  scholars  was  the  opportunity  to  become 
familiar  with  the  best  music,  both  by  studying  it 
and  hearing  it  performed.  In  pursuance  of  this 
idea  she  engaged,  for  the  professor  of  music  at 
Farmington,  Carl  Klauser,  one  of  the  best  theo- 
retical musicians  and  teachers  America  has  ever 
had.  In  speaking  of  him,  Thomas  said, 

"  He  had  much  influence  in  this  country  in  cultivating 
the  taste  for  everything  that  is  noble  in  music.  He 
created  an  artistic  and  refined  atmosphere  for  his  pupils, 
and  the  young  women  who  studied  under  him  at  Farming- 
ton,  and  who  came  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  took 
away  with  them  genuine  love  and  respect  for  the  art  of 
music,  and  were  active  in  promulgating  this  spirit  all  their 
lives.  I  have  often  met  with  instances  of  this,  most  un- 
expectedly, and  in  widely  separated  localities."  * 

Klauser  was  at  that  time  also  a  young  man, 
and  an  intimate  friend  of  Thomas,  and  he  was 

*  See  "  Theodore  Thomas,  a  Musical  Autobiography,"  p.  43. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  31 

instrumental  in  bringing  the  Mason-Thomas  Quar- 
tette to  Farmington  for  an  annual  series  of  cham- 
ber concerts  at  Miss  Porter's  school,  from  1856 
until  the  Quartette  was  finally  disbanded.  It  was 
during  these  repeated  visits  that  Thomas  and  Miss 
Rhodes  formed  the  attachment  which  united  their 
lives  in  1864.* 

This  marriage  probably  exerted  a  very  strong  in- 
fluence in  the  development  of  the  young  musician's 
character,  for  through  it  he  was  brought  into  a  new 
atmosphere — the  atmosphere  of  intellectual  cul- 
ture. Mrs.  Thomas,  even  at  that  early  age,  was 
a  remarkably  brilliant  woman,  and  had  received 
the  most  thorough  educational  training  of  the  day. 
It  was,  no  doubt,  her  fine  mind  and  accurate 
knowledge  which  attracted  Thomas,  for  he  was 
always  an  admirer  of  intellectuality  rather  than 
beauty,  in  women.  "  I  do  not  care  for  so-called 
*  pretty  women,'  "  he  said.  "  What  I  admire  is 
character  and  intelligence.  If  a  woman  has  these, 
she  does  not  need  beauty,  but  I  will  confess  that  if 
a  woman  of  character  and  intellect  has  beauty  in 
addition,  it  is  like  a  lamp  shining  through  an 
alabaster  vase.  But  this  is  a  rare  combination." 

Unlike  many  intellectual  women,  Mrs.  Thomas 
was  a  notable  Hausfrau.  Her  home  was  always 
a  model  of  order,  her  table  delicately  and  bounti- 
fully served,  and  her  children  carefully  reared. 
It  is  said  that  as  her  sons  grew  to  manhood,  she 
made  it  a  point  to  keep  always  ahead  of  them  in 

*  The  author  regrets  that  she  has  been  unable  to  procure  a  good  like- 
ness of  Mr.  Thomas'  first  wife. 


82  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

their  studies,  and  that  when  they  entered  Yale 
and  Columbia  universities,  she  could  have  written 
their  examination  papers  as  well  as  themselves. 
A  wife  of  this  character  was  a  healthy  stimulus  to 
a  mind  like  that  of  Thomas,  and  prevented  him 
from  becoming  one-sided  through  the  exclusive 
contemplation  of  his  own  specialty. 

It  was  always  a  source  of  deep  regret  to  Thomas 
that  he  had  not  had  a  university  education,  and 
he  did  what  he  could  do  to  supply  his  lack  in  this 
direction  by  reading,  always  carrying  with  him 
on  his  travels  some  book  of  history,  philosophy,  or 
the  like,  as  long  as  he  lived.  His  memory  was  so 
retentive  that  he  never  forgot  what  he  read,  and 
thus  he  became,  without  realizing  it  himself,  a  very 
well  informed  man  on  a  wide  range  of  subjects, 
and  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  his  intimate  friends 
through  life  were  physicians,  architects,  writers,  or 
business  men,  rather  than  musicians.  He  knew, 
personally,  nearly  every  eminent  musician  of  both 
America  and  Europe,  but  was  intimate  with  but 
very  few. 

The  first  season  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra  was 
not  very  remunerative,  but  Thomas  felt  that  he 
had,  at  least,  made  a  fair  beginning,  and  when 
summer  came,  he  continued  his  work  by  accepting 
an  engagement  to  play  three  afternoons  a  week, 
from  June  until  September,  in  Belvedere  Lion 
Park,  at  110th  Street.  These  open-air  concerts 
in  a  park  were  the  forerunners  of  the  popular 
Summer  Night  Concerts  which  he  gave  during  so 
many  subsequent  years  in  different  cities  of  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  33 

East  and  West.  Thomas  recognized  at  the  outset 
that  he  could  make  them  serve  an  educational 
purpose,  and  determined  to  utilize  them  in 
familiarizing  the  public  with  symphonic  works. 
The  programme  of  the  first  concert  was  very  light, 
but  on  the  second  and  third  programmes,  respect- 
ively, he  gave  the  first  and  second  symphonies  of 
Beethoven  and  a  Mozart  overture,  while  the  fourth 
included  a  Mozart  symphony  and  the  overture  to 
w  Fidelio."  Apparently  the  experiment  was  not  a 
success.  No  doubt  the  public  complained,  and  the 
manager  objected  to  a  symphonic  repertoire  from 
a  park  band  stand.  It  was  probably  the  first  of 
a  long  series  of  occasions  when  his  audience  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  the  musical  feast  he  set  before  it, 
and  clamored  for  popular  programmes.  So  he 
changed  his  tactics,  but  without  ever  losing  sight 
of  his  ultimate  object,  and  abandoned  for  a  time 
giving  whole  symphonies,  administering  them,  in- 
stead, in  small  doses,  one  movement  at  a  time, 
as  he  thought  the  people  could  digest  them. 

By  means  of  this  engagement,  inferior  though  it 
was,  Thomas  managed  to  keep  half  of  his  orchestra 
together  through  the  summer  season,  and  when 
winter  came,  he  enlarged  it  once  more  to  sixty  men, 
and  gave  Symphony  Soirees  as  he  had  done  the 
two  previous  winters. 

During  the  summer  of  1866,  Thomas  inaugu- 
rated his  real  Summer  Night  Concerts,  and  gave 
over  a  hundred  of  them  on  consecutive  nights  at 
Terrace  Garden,  between  June  11  and  September 
29.  But  the  programmes  were,  as  yet,  of  the 


34  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

lightest  character  compatible  with  his  standards, 
and  symphonic  works  were  sparingly  introduced. 
This  engagement  was,  however,  a  great  advance 
on  that  of  the  previous  summer,  because  the  or- 
chestra was  larger  and  the  concerts  given  daily, 
thus  permitting  him  to  keep  the  players  of  the 
orchestra  under  his  exclusive  and  constant  direc- 
tion, and  it  followed  naturally  that  their  artistic 
progress  was  rapid,  and  that  when  fall  came,  they 
were  in  excellent  shape  for  their  winter's  work. 

The  season  of  1866  and  1867  was  memorable  to 
Thomas  for  two  reasons.  The  first  of  these  was 
his  appointment  as  the  conductor  of  the  Brooklyn 
Philharmonic  Society,  an  office  which  he  held 
continuously  as  long  as  he  lived  in  New  York. 
The  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society  was  not  com- 
posed of  orchestral  musicians,  like  that  of  New 
York,  but  of  private  citizens,  music  lovers,  who 
were  organized  to  provide  an  annual  series  of 
symphony  concerts  for  that  city.  Hence,  in 
accepting  this  appointment,  Thomas  was  able  to 
utilize  his  own  orchestra,  thus  securing  to  his 
men  an  extra  engagement  of  twenty  performances. 
His  Symphony  Soirees  were  resumed,  and  the 
opening  of  Steinway  Hall,  which  was  the  other 
important  event  of  the  winter  for  him,  provided 
him  with  a  large  number  of  miscellaneous  con- 
certs in  addition,  so  that  his  professional  outlook 
began,  at  last,  to  appear  really  promising. 

This  hall  had  been  built  by  the  piano  firm  of 
Steinway  and  Sons,  over  their  warerooms  in  Four- 
teenth Street,  presumably  as  a  business  venture, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  35 

but  the  firm  was  always  very  generous  in  regard 
to  the  use  of  the  hall  by  others,  and  it  soon  be- 
came the  musical  center  of  America,  and  the 
place  where  all  the  most  important  concerts  of 
New  York  were  given  during  the  winter  season. 
It  was  not  large,  and  would  be  reckoned  now-a- 
days  as  a  cramped  and  inconvenient  auditorium 
for  orchestral  purposes.  Nevertheless  it  was  the 
only  hall  which  the  metropolitan  city  possessed 
during  all  Thomas'  residence  there,  and  he  often 
said  that  the  city  of  New  York  owed  much  to  the 
Steinways  for  building  and  maintaining  for  so 
many  years  a  hall  where,  although  it  was  by  no 
means  ideal,  it  was,  nevertheless,  possible  to  give 
the  best  music.  Nor  has  any  hall  of  as  satisfactory 
size  and  stage  capacity  been  built  in  that  city 
from  the  time  it  was  closed  to  the  present  writing 
(1910).  The  Thomas  Orchestra  could  not  have 
been  maintained  in  New  York  so  many  years 
without  this  hall  in  which  to  do  its  work  and  store 
its  belongings,  and  when  the  growth  of  the  city 
took  the  concert-going  public  so  far  away  from 
its  location  that  concerts  could  no  longer  be  profit- 
ably given  there,  the  lack  of  a  "  home  "  for  his 
orchestra  lost  it  to  New  York,  while  the  build- 
ing of  such  a  "  home  "  in  Chicago  won  it  in  per- 
petuity for  the  Western  city. 

Thomas  had  been  so  entirely  a  self-educated 
man  that  he  felt  very  doubtful  in  regard  to  his 
own  acquirements.  There  was  no  standard  of 
musical  art  in  this  country  yet,  nor  were  there 
conductors  or  orchestras  of  established  reputation 


36  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

by  which  to  measure  himself  or  his  work.  So  he 
determined,  in  the  spring  of  1867,  to  take  a  short 
vacation  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  and  spend 
about  two  months  in  Europe,  hearing  everything 
he  could  in  that  brief  time  and  impressing  the 
highest  standards  of  orchestral,  quartette,  and  solo 
violin  performances  on  his  mind,  in  order  that  he 
might  thereby  improve  his  work  at  home. 

His  little  journal  *  of  this  trip — consisting  of 
only  a  few  lines,  jotted  down  daily  in  pencil — gives 
in  a  nutshell  an  expert's  criticism  of  the  best  mu- 
sical performances  of  Europe  at  that  time.  The 
greater  part  of  it  is  quoted  below: 

"  April  29,  1867.  Arrived  in  London  at  ten  o'clock. 
In  the  evening  heard  '  Faust '  in  Covent  Garden.  Garcia 
and  Lucca,  very  good.  Orchestra  extraordinary.  Costa 
conducting. 

"  April  30,  London.  Matinee  at  St.  James.  Ella 
conducting — a  monkey.  In  the  evening  opera  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theater.  Titiens — great!  Orchestra  middling 
good,  chorus  very  strong  and  good.  Arditi  conducting. 
Bad,  everything  bad. 

"  May  2,  London.  Opera  at  Covent  Garden,  *  Mar- 
riage of  Figaro.'  A  very  good  performance.  Cherubino 
(Lucca)  very  beautiful.  Yesterday  I  heard  a  Philhar- 
monic concert.  Second  class.  Dr.  Wylde,  conductor, 
very  bad.  They  gave  the  Fifth  Symphony  and  Mozart's 
Clarinet  Concerto.  Tedious. 

"  May  6,  Paris.  Heard  Pasdeloup.  In  the  Haydn 
Symphony  and  Septet,  Beethoven,  the  whole  orchestra 

*  The  original  diary  is  written  in  German. 


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MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  37 

was  good.  The  Overture  to  Genoveva,  Schumann,  was 
bad.  Conducting  middling. 

"  May  8,  Paris.  Grand  opera,  *  Don  Carlos.'  Only 
seven  contra-basses,  but  they  played  for  twenty!  Ex- 
traordinary— wonderful — For  the  first  time  I  heard  a 
contra-bassoon,  the  effect  was  wonderful.  Verdi  sounds 
better  in  the  Grand  Opera  of  Paris  than  in  New 
York. 

"  Spent  a  delightful  hour  with  Berlioz,  in  which  we 
talked  over  all  his  larger  compositions.  It  seems  he 
had  heard  already  that  I  played  his  music,  and,  as  I  was 
leaving,  he  asked  me  if  there  was  anything  of  his  that  I 
would  like  which  I  did  not  already  have  in  my  library. 
I  told  him  yes,  there  was  one  thing  that  I  wanted  very 
much,  and  that  was  his  great  *  Requiem  Mass.'  Hearing 
this,  Berlioz  went  to  the  music  case,  took  down  his  own 
copy  of  the  score  and  inscribed  it,  *  To  Theodore  Thomas 
in  remembrance  of  the  grateful  author,  Hector  Berlioz,' 
and  presented  it  to  me." 

"  May  16,  Munich.  Reached  Munich  at  four  this  after- 
noon and  went  to  the  opera  this  evening.  Performance 
not  very  good.  Afterwards  heard  Gungl's  orchestra.  No 
comparison  with  mine. 

"  May  18,  Vienna.  Reached  here  this  morning  and 
drove  out  to  the  graves  of  Beethoven  and  Schubert.  Later 
in  the  day  I  heard  *  Traviata.'  Went  also  to  the  Prater. 
The  whole  four  miles  were  illuminated,  and  bands  playing 
all  along.  I  paid  especial  attention  to  the  performance 
of  Johann  Strauss. 

"May  20,  Vienna.  Heard  'The  Huguenots.'  Bad. 
Violins  good,  but  the  basses  scratched.  Seems  to  be  al- 
ways the  German  style. 

"  May  21,  Vienna.  In  the  Volksgarten  to  hear 
Strauss  again.  In  the  afternoon  the  orchestra  of  the 


38  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Conservatoire  played  for  my  benefit  the  Unfinished  Sym- 
phony of  Schubert.  Beautiful. 

"  May  23,  Dresden.  Arrived  at  three  and  called  on 
Rietz  at  five.  He  received  me  most  cordially.  I  found 
in  him  the  first  conductor  who  really  knows  something. 

"  May  28,  Berlin.  Grand  opera.  '  Prophete.'  Johanne 
Wagner  as  Fides.  Orchestra  under  Radicke  very 
scholastic. 

"  May  30,  Berlin.  Opera  again.  In  the  afternoon 
Liebig  in  '  Orpheus.'  In  the  evening  Beethoven's  *  Fi- 
delio.'  Taubert  conducted — an  old  machine,  but  no  preci- 
sion. The  opera  itself  made  a  great  impression  on  me. 
Met  Dvorak  afterwards. 

"  At  last  I  have  met  Tausig.  He  is  the  ninth  wonder 
of  the  world!  He  played  for  me  everything  imaginable, 
and  became  very  confidential  during  our  interview. 

"  June  1,  Hanover.  A  Beethoven  concert.  Violin  con- 
certo, played  by  Joachim.  He  is  the  most  noted  violinist 
of  the  time.  Bott  directed  the  Seventh  Symphony.  A 
man  of  no  talent,  and  no  conductor.  We  would  not  dare 
to  play  so  in  America. 

"  June  9.  Performance  of  *  Judas  Maccabeus,'  Rietz 
conducting.  A  fine  performance,  especially  in  the  choral 
work.  The  Bach  Suite  was  also  well  played.  Beautiful 
effects." 

On  this  little  European  tour,  Thomas  traveled 
at  high  pressure,  visiting  only  such  cities  as  af- 
forded him  the  best  musical  performances,  or 
brought  him  into  personal  relations  with  the  most 
noted  musicians  in  his  own  specialties  of  orchestra, 
opera,  quartette,  or  violin.  While  listening  crit- 
ically to  their  performances,  he  compared  them 
with  his  own,  hoping  to  glean  new  and  valuable 


39 

suggestions  from  them.  To  his  surprise,  he  found 
himself,  not  only  abreast,  but  ahead  of  the  first 
European  musicians  in  conducting,  while  in  quar- 
tette and  solo  playing,  he  had  little  to  learn,  even 
from  the  great  Joachim  himself.  Nor  could  his 
severest  self-criticism  show  him  any  essential  of 
musicianship  in  which  he  was  lacking.  But,  al- 
though he  did  not  learn  much  that  was  new, 
musically,  the  trip  was  nevertheless  an  important 
one  to  him,  for  it  brought  him  in  touch  with  the 
great  art  centers  of  Europe,  broadened  his  mental 
horizon,  and  gave  him  confidence  in  himself.  He 
now  knew  that  he  was  on  the  right  road,  and  no 
longer  worked  in  the  dark.  One  valuable  bit  of 
musical  information  he  gained  which  was  of  great 
service  to  him,  and  this  was  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  dance  music  of  Johann  and  Josef  Strauss. 
The  days  were  long  past  when  Thomas'  services 
were  needed  in  the  ballroom,  but  he  recognized 
that  the  dance  music  of  the  Strauss  family  had 
a  distinct  value  in  the  concert  room,  and  that  it 
was  worthy  of  its  own  place  on  his  lighter  pro- 
grammes. He,  therefore,  went  many  times  to  hear 
it  under  the  leadership  of  Strauss  himself,  and 
carefully  noted  his  best  effects,  for  reproduction 
in  the  Summer  Night  Concerts  at  home.  When 
he  returned  he  brought  with  him  pretty  much 
everything  the  Strausses  had  ever  written,  adding 
to  his  collection  of  their  works,  later,  all  their 
subsequent  publications,  until  his  library  contained 
the  scores  and  parts  of  nearly  two  hundred  dances 
and  marches  by  these  celebrated  composers  of  light 


40  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

music.  No  one  knew  the  value  of  a  good  piece 
of  popular  music  so  well  as  Thomas,  and  he  was 
always  on  the  lookout  for  such  dainty  musical 
tid-bits,  and  would  take  infinite  pains  to  make 
them  effective.  An  instance  of  the  kind,  which 
belongs  to  this  period,  was  his  adaptation  of 
Schumann's  little  piano  compositions  "  Traumerei  " 
and  "  Romanza  "  to  orchestra.  The  idea  did  not 
originate  with  him,  as  the  two  compositions,  linked 
together,  had  already  been  orchestrated  by  a  New 
York  musician  named  George  Matzka,  but  the 
arrangement  was  not  satisfactory  to  Thomas. 
He  therefore  rearranged  them  for  the  string 
choir  only,  omitting  the  basses,  and  playing  the 
final  portion  with  muted  instruments,  ending  with 
a  diminuendo  "piano,  pianissimo)  pianississimo" 
as  he  said.  To  still  further  heighten  the  effect,  he 
would  have  the  violinists  of  the  orchestra  con- 
tinue to  draw  their  bows  over  the  strings  after 
the  music  had  in  reality  ceased,  and  the  audience, 
watching  the  moving  bows  in  breathless  silence, 
were  actually  unable  to  distinguish  when  it  be- 
came inaudible,  but  continued  to  hear  it,  in  imagi- 
nation, floating  off  to  an  immeasurable  distance, 
until  Thomas  broke  the  spell  by  quietly  laying 
down  his  baton.  Later,  when  Thomas  began  to 
travel  with  his  orchestra,  this  little  arrangement 
of  the  "  Traumerei "  created  such  a  sensation  with 
the  public  everywhere  that  it  might  almost  be 
called  the  cornerstone  of  his  success. 

On  his  return  from  Europe  in  July,  his  Sum- 
mer  Night    Concerts   were   already   in   progress 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  41 

under  the  conductorship  of  Matzka  and  Eben, 
who  had  started  the  season  for  him  in  his  absence. 
He  at  once  assumed  his  old  place  at  the  con- 
ductor's desk,  and  the  rest  of  the  season  was 
carried  out  so  successfully  that,  at  its  close,  some 
business  men  offered  to  build  a  hall  for  his  use  in 
the  summer  seasons  of  the  future — a  very  im- 
portant matter  for  Thomas,  as  we  shall  see. 

One  of  the  pleasant  features  of  his  European 
trip,  had  been  the  courteous  attentions  of  the 
famous  musician  Hans  von  Buelow.  Buelow 
was  at  that  time  one  of  the  musical  autocrats  of 
Europe,  and,  in  particular,  an  authority  on  the 
important  subjects  of  Beethoven  and  conducting. 
He  had  watched  the  work  of  Thomas  in  America 
with  the  interest  of  a  connoisseur,  and  when  he 
came  to  Munich,  Buelow  gave  him  a  very  cordial 
welcome,  and  took  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  make 
his  stay  there  agreeable.  A  pleasant  friendship 
sprang  up  between  the  two  musicians,  and  after 
the  return  of  Thomas  to  America  he  played  one 
of  Buelow's  compositions  in  New  York.  Buelow 
— however  great  as  a  student  and  executant 
musician — was  not  much  of  a  composer,  and  the 
"  Ballade  "  for  orchestra  which  Thomas  performed, 
had  been  a  dismal  failure  in  the  European  concerts 
where  it  had  been  given.  Perhaps  for  this  reason 
Thomas  brought  his  best  effort  to  bear  upon  its 
American  performance,  with  the  result  that  he  was 
able  to  write  to  Buelow  the  comforting  news  that  it 
had  scored  a  success.  At  the  same  time  he  sought 
his  advice  on  certain  points  in  the  interpretation 


42  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  some  Beethoven  works,  in  which  he  had  made 
what  seemed  to  him  necessary  changes,  which  he 
wished  to  have  endorsed  by  the  highest  authority 
then  living.  In  reply  he  received  the  following 
interesting  letter: 

MUNICH,  June,  1868. 
ME.   THEODORE  THOMAS, 

Honored  Sir: 

Accept  my  sincerest  thanks  for  your  kind  letter  and 
the  communications  accompanying  it,  which  were  of  deep 
interest  to  me.  .  .  .  The  news  of  the  "  non-fiasco  "  of  my 
orchestral  "  Ballade  "  delighted  me,  especially  because, 
Honored  Sir,  it  proved  that  you  found  it  worth  while  to 
give  to  my  little  composition  the  careful  preparation  neces- 
sary to  produce  an  impression  upon  the  audience  with  it. 
This,  in  itself,  is  so  flattering  to  me  that  it  would  have 
compensated  me  even  for  a  failure. 

Not  less  agreeable  to  me  was  the  news  that  Liszt's 
"  Ideale  "  has  found  favor  with  New  York  music-lovers, 
through  your  intelligent  interpretation.  I  place  special 
value  upon  this  work  among  the  symphonic  poems.  Have 
you  produced  the  "  Hunnenschlacht  "  yet?  I  consider 
this  composition  almost  as  pleasing  to  the  audience  as  the 
"  Festklange,"  "  Tasso,"  and  "  Preludes."  Besides,  it  is 
not  especially  difficult. 

Your  description  of  the  sorrows  of  a  conductor  who 
has  to  concern  himself  with  the  gymnastics  of  taming  a 
diva  to  suit  the  public,  amused  me  immensely.  I  regret 
that  you,  who  know  how  to  wield  the  pen  so  cleverly,  do 
not  publish  such  accounts  in  the  "  Signale."  I  would 
humbly  advise,  in  such  a  case,  that  even  the  recitative  of 
this  Cabaletta  should  be  directed  with  a  revolver!  You 
are  mistaken,  however,  if  you  imagine  that  similar  delights 
are  unknown  to  us  poor  European  conductors.  Here  in 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  43 

Munich,  for  instance,  we  have  to  suffer  even  more  un- 
bearable trials,  especially  from  soi-disant  "  musical " 
male  singers,  whom  the  devil  should  take  first  of  all. 
They  do  not  accept  any  suggestion,  and  make  the  same 
.demands  as  the  Italian  "  throat-beast."  For  instance, 
one  must  double  the  tempo  in  a  Mozart  aria,  if  the  "  musi- 
cal "  singer  does  not  know  how  to  breathe  properly,  or 
how  to  hold  the  note  the  requisite  time.  But  enough  of  this. 

My  time  is  so  very  limited  (on  the  21st  of  this  month 
comes  the  first  representation,  and  this  time  really  a 
model  performance  of  Wagner's  "  Meister singer  ")  that 
I  cannot  think  of  a  cozy  chat  with  the  pen  or  the  tongue, 
and  therefore  I  will  devote  my  scant  measure  of  time  to 
answering  your  questions  in  regard  to  the  Ninth  Sym- 
phony, quoting  from  the  new  octavo  edition  of  Schott, 
which  is  cheaper,  and  in  some  details,  more  correct  than  the 
pretentious  edition  of  Haertel,  which  I  have  not  at  hand. 

One  important  mistake  is,  as  you  correctly  state,  at  the 
end  of  the  2-3  measure  in  D  in  the  Allegro  ma  non  tanto 
(Finale).  The  Ctjin  the  wood-winds,  as  a  melodious  tone, 
is  correct,  therefore  in  the  viola  and  contralto  voices  must 
be  resolved.  I  agree  thoroughly  with  your  action  in 
strengthening  the  Canto  fermo  in  the  trumpets  and  horns 
in  the  above  mentioned  2-3  tempo.  Two  years  ago  I 
added  this  in  the  orchestral  parts  here.  In  the  finale  of 
the  Eighth  Symphony,  development  of  2-2,  I  had  the  two 
trumpets  enter  at  the  beginning  of  the  theme  in  A 
major,  to  strengthen  the  feeble  wood-winds  in  the  sus- 
tained tone  E,  and  also  at  the  fourth  section  at  D  major 
on  A.  My  piety  extends  even  farther.  In  the  C 
minor  symphony,  first  movement,  third  section,  I  do  not 
have  this  passage  iffi  it 

played  by  the  bas- 
soons, but  by  the 
horns,  as  in  the  analogous  passage  in  Eb  (I  do  not  let  the 


44 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


bassoons  enter  before  the  G).  Experience  has  taught  me, 
furthermore,  that  even  with  the  most  efficient  orchestras, 
the  beginning  of  this  movement  never  goes  perfectly,  if 
the  leader  does  not  beat  three  measures  before,  whereby 
the  first  measure  acquires  a  rhythmical  position  as  the 
fourth  of  a  period  of  four  measures.  Something  similar  is 
needed  in  the  Scherzo  of  the  "  Eroica^'  where  the  twice 
intervalled  period  of  two  beats  may  easily  cause  uncer- 
tainty if  the  players  do  not  introduce  a  slight  accent.  Your 
completing  the  flute  passages  in  the  ScJierzo  (alia  ottava) 
I  also  find  permissible.  ...  * 

The  second  mistake  you  have  also  correctly  verified  (in 
the  first  movement).  I  consider  it  very  essential,  as  it  dis- 
turbs the  harmonic  structure  and  lessens  the  effect  of  the 
ascending  passages  of  the  bassoon  and  clarinet.  The 
oboes  must  double  the  parts  of  the  second  violins  and 
violas  in  the  higher  octave,  therefore  it  should  be 


f 


cresc. 


and  not 


That  you  preserve  such  pleasant  memories  of  your  too 
brief  stay  in  Munich,  and  my  humble  self,  only  in- 
creases my  sincere  regret  that  you  cannot  be  present  at 
our  musical  festival  in  Munich,  which  is  soon  to  occur. 
I  cherish  the  ambition  that  on  June  21,  Munich  will 
provide  the  very  best  specimen  of  the  musical  ability 


*  Here  a  piece  is  torn  out  of  the  letter,  and  the  next  few  lines  are 
missing.    The  original  is  in  German. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  45 

that  old  Europe  can  produce.  And  therefore  a  trans- 
Atlantic  listener  of  your  caliber  would  be  doubly  val- 
uable. Well,  our  motto — yours  and  mine — is  "  Onward." 
I  hope  within  two  years  we  here  shall  arrive  at  the  point 
always  to  have  something  ready  of  which  we  need  not 
be  ashamed  for  unexpected  guests. 

For  to-day,  allow  me  now  to  say  good-by. 
Very  truly  yours, 

HANS  VON  BUELOW. 


CHAPTER  III 

1868-1870 

BUILDING    OF    CENTRAL    PARK    GARDEN    HALL    1868 FIRST 

CONCERT     TOUR    OF    THE    THOMAS     ORCHESTRA     1869' 

CRITICAL    ACCOUNTS    OF    FIRST    PERFORMANCES    IN    BOS- 
TON,  CHICAGO,   CINCINNATI,   AND   PITTSBURG AMERICAN 

MUSICAL    CONDITIONS    IN    1869 

THE  building  of  the  new  hall  at  Central  Park 
Garden  was  an  event  of  great  importance  to 
Thomas,  for,  be  it  remembered,  he  was  aiming  for 
a  permanent  orchestral  institution,  and  for  this  the 
first  essential  is  a  suitable  building  in  which  to 
work — a  building  which  shall  have  not  only  a 
convenient  hall  and  stage  for  concerts  and  daily 
rehearsals,  but  also  a  large  library,  ample  storage 
capacity  for  the  instruments,  chairs,  platforms, 
music  stands,  and  all  the  rest  of  its  parapher- 
nalia, and  convenient  offices  for  the  transaction 
of  its  business.  The  Central  Park  Garden  did 
not,  it  is  true,  realize  all  of  these  requirements; 
but  it,  at  least,  provided  a  good  home  for  the 
Summer  Night  Concerts,  and  insured  their  con- 
tinuance indefinitely. 

Thomas  evidently  felt  its  erection  to  be  a  great 
step  in  advance,  for  he  celebrated  its  opening, 
on  the  evening  of  May  25,  1868,  by  composing  a 
march  for  the  first  number  of  the  programme — 

46 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  47 

a  most  unusual  act  for  him.  Throughout  his 
entire  life  he  was  singularly  reluctant  to  compose 
music,  although  the  few  times  when  he  did  take 
pen  in  hand  and  write,  show  him  to  have  been 
gifted  with  a  creative  talent  which  was  both 
beautiful  and  original.  He  once  said,  in  this 
connection,  "  As  a  young  man  I  wished  to  be  a 
composer,  but  circumstances  forced  me  into  the 
executant's  career.  My  creative  vein  was  worthy 
of  development,  had  I  had  the  time  for  it,  but  it 
fell  short  of  genius,  and  I  believed  I  could  do 
more  for  my  art  and  my  country  by  familiarizing 
the  people  with  the  literature  already  created 
than  by  adding  to  it  myself.  The  exacting  nature 
of  my  work  in  the  orchestra  required  all  my  time 
and  strength,  and  made  any  other  kind  of  serious 
work  impossible,  and  as  long  as  I  could  not  give 
the  time  necessary  to  produce  compositions  which 
would  be  satisfactory  to  myself,  I  preferred  to 
let  it  alone  altogether."  For  the  same  reason 
he  early  gave  up  both  his  solo  and  quartette  play- 
ing, for  he  would  not  touch  anything  which  he 
could  not  perfect,  and  was  severely  critical  of  his 
own  work.  "  Mediocrity  is  the  curse  of  art,"  he 
was  wont  to  say,  "  It  should  be  wiped  out,  not 
encouraged." 

The  Summer  Night  Concerts  in  the  new  hall 
were  even  more  popular  than  those  of  the  pre- 
ceding years,  and  experience  had  now  shown  him 
how  to  make  them  at  once  attractive  and  educa- 
tional to  the  public.  In  after  years  he  gave  similar 
concerts  in  many  other  cities,  but  he  always  ad- 


48  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

hered  to  the  same  system  as  that  which  character- 
ized the  original  Central  Park  Garden  series  in 
1868.  Subsequent  series  differed  in  degree  but 
not  in  kind.  The  halls  in  which  this  class  of  con- 
certs were  given  were  always  very  large,  cool,  and 
airy;  evergreen  trees  in  tubs,  palms,  and  potted 
plants  standing  about,  gave  a  suggestion  of  an 
open-air  garden,  often  a  fountain  splashed 
pleasantly  in  the  center.  The  front  section  was 
railed  off,  and  served  as  an  auditorium  for  those 
who  came  for  the  music  only;  here  the  price  of 
admission  was  fifty  cents.  In  the  rear  section,  to 
which  the  admission  was  only  twenty-five  cents, 
the  formal  rows  of  chairs  gave  place  to  small 
tables  with  chairs  around  them.  Here  the  men 
could  have  a  quiet  smoke  while  listening  to  the 
music,  or,  during  the  two  long  intermissions  of 
the  programme,  could  order  refreshments.  The 
whole  atmosphere  of  the  place  was  one  of  in- 
formality and  restful  enjoyment. 

In  making  the  programmes  Thomas  followed  a 
system  of  his  own.  They  were  divided  into  three 
short  parts,  with  long  intermissions  between.  The 
first  part  consisted  of  short,  brilliant  numbers,  such 
as  would  not  be  disturbed  by  the  entrance  of  late 
comers.  During  the  second  part  the  audience 
was  quiet,  and  therefore  here  we  find  symphonic 
movements,  or  classic  gems  of  one  kind  or  another. 
By  the  time  the  last  part  of  the  programme  was 
reached,  it  was  late  and  the  audience  tired,  so  this 
part  consisted  of  marches,  waltzes,  or  other  music 
having  rich  orchestral  color  and  strongly  marked 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  49 

rhythms,  to  wake  the  people  up  and  send  them 
home  happy.  This  was  the  general  plan  on  which 
the  Summer  Night  Concert  programmes  were 
constructed  for  many  years,  and  the  following, 
selected  from  the  series  of  1868,  is  a  good  example: 

CENTRAL   PARK   GARDEN 

August  7,  1868 

Coronation  March , Strauss 

Overture,  "  Heimkehr  aus  der  Fremde  " .  .  .  .  Mendelssohn 
Waltz,  "  Masaniello  "  .  ., >......... Auber 

Intermission 

Overture,   "  Tannhaeuser  ". .  ... . . .,. .  ..Wagner 

Andante  from  Symphony  No.  8 i. .  .Beethoven 

Scherzo   from   Symphony  in   C Schubert 

Intermission 

Schiller  March. . Meyerbeer 

Overture,  "  Mignon  " ...........  .Ambrose  Thomas 

Ave  Maria ,.  .Bach-Gounod 

Waltz,  "  Sphaeren  Klange  ".  .  . Strauss 

Turkish   March ,. .  .. Mozart 

But  although  Thomas  never  changed  his  method 
of  making  the  programmes,  nevertheless,  he  rarely 
played  the  same  one  twice.  It  was  one  of  his 
lifelong  customs  to  make  a  fresh  programme 
for  every  concert,  for  he  thought  that  it  soon 
became  perfunctory  to  the  orchestra,  and  lost  its 
vitality  if  it  were  repeated  literally.  Consequently, 
in  all  the  ten  thousand  or  more  programmes  which 
he  has  left  as  the  record  of  his  work,  there  are 
hardly  any  duplicates. 


50  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

As  may  be  imagined,  concerts  of  the  foregoing 
character  appealed  strongly  to  the  general  public, 
and  tired  business  or  professional  men,  espe- 
cially, found  the  Central  Park  Garden  a  most 
restful  place  in  which  to  forget  the  cares  and 
worries  of  the  day,  and  gain  fresh  inspiration  for 
the  next.  Thomas  often  said,  "  What  our  over- 
worked business  and  professional  men  most  need 
in  America,  is  an  elevating  mental  recreation 
which  is  not  an  amusement."  It  not  infrequently 
happened  that  after  one  of  his  concerts,  some 
entire  stranger  would  make  his  way  into  the 
dressing-room  and  say,  "  Mr.  Thomas,  I  have 
come  to  thank  you  for  the  benefit  I  have  derived 
from  the  concert  to-night.  I  came  here  very 
tired  and  worried  about  some  professional  per- 
plexities of  my  own  from  which  I  have  been  unable 
to  free  my  mind  of  late.  I  am  not  a  musical  man, 
but  while  listening  to  your  fine  orchestra,  I  was 
able  to  forget  my  own  anxieties  for  the  time,  and 
I  shall  go  home  so  refreshed  in  mind  that  I  be- 
lieve I  shall  sleep  well  and  be  in  better  condition 
to  solve  my  problems  in  the  morning."  This  sort 
of  personal  testimony  came  to  him  from  time  to 
time  in  many  distant  cities,  but  the  men  who 
spoke  these  pleasant  words  would  have  been  sur- 
prised if  they  had  known  how  much  courage  and 
inspiration  they  were,  in  turn,  giving  to  him  by 
so  doing. 

Thomas  had  now  achieved  his  original  aim  of 
having  an  orchestra  of  his  own  whose  members 
should  play  exclusively  under  his  baton  all  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  51 

year.  The  new  hall  assured  him  of  a  regular 
summer  engagement  for  himself  and  his  men,  and 
during  the  winter  his  Symphony  Soirees,  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic,  and  a  large  number  of 
miscellaneous  concerts  provided  enough  work  to 
keep  them  together  and  pay  the  salary  list. 
Nevertheless  there  was,  after  all,  no  real  perma- 
nency to  the  orchestra,  and  it  was  merely  his 
private  organization  for  which  he  alone  was  finan- 
cially responsible,  and  which  he  maintained  at  the 
cost  of  constant  risk  and  never  ceasing  anxiety. 
Thomas  was  a  very  scrupulous  man  about  all 
matters  of  business.  When  he  engaged  musicians 
to  play  in  his  orchestra,  he  felt  in  honor  bound 
to  pay  their  salaries  whether  the  concerts  were 
financially  successful  or  not.  And  as  he  had  no 
private  property  of  his  own  to  draw  upon,  in 
case  of  disaster,  he  was  obliged  to  manage  so  that 
the  losses  of  one  concert  should  be  made  good  by 
the  profits  of  another,  and  thus  bring  them  out 
even  in  the  end.  This  he  contrived  to  do,  but  it 
was  very  difficult,  and  the  worry  and  anxiety  it 
involved  were  so  harassing  to  a  man  already  over- 
burdened by  the  musical  work  of  the  organiza- 
tion that  he  early  perceived  the  necessity  of  some 
form  of  financial  endowment  for  the  orchestra — 
preferably  a  well-equipped  building  in  a  central 
location — and  planned  for  that  end.  At  that  day, 
however,  the  public,  even  in  the  metropolitan 
city  of  New  York,  was  not  ripe  for  the  art  insti- 
tution which  was  gradually  taking  shape  in  his 
mind,  and  he  recognized  that  he  must  do  much 


52  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

missionary  work  yet,  before  the  popular  demand 
for  symphonic  music  would  be  general  enough  for 
the  creation  of  a  great  orchestra  as  an  endowed 
institution.  The  problem  before  him  was,  there- 
fore, how  to  keep  his  orchestra  together  and 
pay  its  expenses  during  the  years  while  he  was 
gradually  creating  that  demand.  The  long  season 
of  summer  concerts  in  New  York  was  now  pro- 
vided for,  as  we  have  seen,  but  the  winter  en- 
gagements still  fell  short  of  what  was  needed,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  season  of  1868-69  Thomas  de- 
cided to  give  up  all  his  winter  concerts  in  New 
York  and  play  in  that  city  only  in  summer.  For 
the  rest  of  the  year  he  planned  to  travel  to  the 
larger  cities  of  the  East  and  West,  and  in  this 
way  secure  the  money  needed  to  carry  on  his 
orchestra  until  the  Utopian  time  should  come  when 
New  York  music-lovers  were  numerous  and  en- 
thusiastic enough  to  endow  it  permanently,  and 
leave  him  free  to  give  all  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  its  artistic  side. 

The  route  which  Thomas  sketched  out  for  his 
first  tour  with  the  orchestra  in  1869,  might  be 
called  the  great  musical  highway  of  America,  for 
it  included  all  the  large  cities  which  Thomas 
thought  might  become  musical  centers  in  time.  It 
was  as  follows: 

OUTWARD  HOMEWARD 

New  York.  St.  Louis. 

New  Haven.  Indianapolis. 

Hartford.  Louisville. 


53 

OUTWARD  HOMEWARD 

Providence.  Cincinnati. 

Boston.  Dayton. 

Worcester.  Springfield,   O. 

Springfield,  Mass.  Columbus. 

Albany.  Pittsburg. 

Schenectady.  Washington. 

Utica.  Baltimore. 

Syracuse.  Philadelphia. 

Rochester.  New  York. 

Buffalo. 

Cleveland. 

Toledo. 

Detroit. 

Chicago. 

During  the  twenty -two  years  between  1869  and 
1891,  Thomas  traveled  over  this  "  highway "  a 
number  of  times  every  year.  In  the  larger  of  its 
cities  he  gave  concerts  on  every  trip,  arranging 
the  intermediate  stops  in  accordance  with  the  en- 
gagements offered.  But  there  was  not  a  city  on 
the  list  which  was  not  visited  more  or  less  often, 
and  given  its  own  opportunity  for  musical  culture. 
In  addition  to  the  regular  route  just  specified, 
and  which  I  have  designated  as  the  "  highway," 
Thomas  had  a  number  of  others  over  which  he 
traveled  at  less  frequent  intervals.  One  of  these 
led  through  the  Southern  States;  another  through 
New  England  to  Montreal,  and  thence  through 
Canada  to  the  far  Northwest;  another  straight 
across  the  continent  to  San  Francisco,  returning 
through  Texas. 


54  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

The  task  of  his  biographer,  from  now  on,  there- 
fore becomes  very  complex,  for,  during  these 
twenty-two  years  of  incessant  traveling,  Thomas 
ceased  to  be  a  mere  New  York  musician,  and  be- 
came a  national  educator  in  the  broadest  sense  of 
the  term  and  was  identified  with  the  musical  life 
of  every  large  city  in  America  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree. 

On  his  first  tour  over  the  "  highway,"  in  the 
fall  of  1869,  Thomas  gave  his  opening  concert  in 
Boston  on  November  5.  Then,  as  now,  Boston 
was  the  most  cultivated  city  of  America,  and 
Thomas  did  not  find  it  necessary  to  do  much  musi- 
cal missionary  work  there,  for  the  people  were 
ripe  for  the  best  he  had  to  offer.  Indeed,  one 
may  say  that  Boston  "  discovered  "  Thomas,  for 
the  press  notices  of  the  concerts  he  gave  there  in 
1869  show  a  discriminating  appreciation  of  the 
peculiar  qualities  of  his  musical  work  one  does 
not  find  in  those  of  New  York  until  some  years 
later.  I  quote  these  notices,  as  well  as  those 
from  the  leading  journals  of  some  of  the  other 
large  cities  visited  on  this  tour,  somewhat  at 
length,  because  they  give,  collectively,  a  com- 
plete description  of  the  orchestra,  and  of  Thomas 
as  a  conductor,  as  well  as  of  the  general  musical 
conditions  in  the  principal  American  cities  at 
that  period. 

'  The  visit  of  this  famous  orchestra,"  said  the 
critic  of  Dwghfs  Journal  of  Music,  "  has  given  our 
music-lovers  a  new  and  quick  sensation.  Boston 
has  not  heard  such  performances  before;  and  Bos- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  55 

ton,  in  the  frankest  humor,  gave  itself  up  to  the 
complete  enjoyment  and  unstinted  praise  of  what 
it  heard.  .  .  .  We  rejoice  in  the  coming  of  this 
orchestra.  It  is  just  the  kind  of  thing  we,  for 
years,  have  longed  for  in  view  of  our  own  progress 
here.  .  .  .  We  thank  Mr.  Thomas  for  setting  pal- 
pably before  us  a  higher  ideal  of  orchestral  execu- 
tion. We  shall  demand  better  of  our  own  in 
future.  They  cannot  witness  this  example  with- 
out a  newly-kindled  desire,  followed  by  an  effort 
to  do  likewise." 

The  critic  of  the  Advertiser  wrote:  "A  fine 
precision  and  accuracy  is  one  manifestation  of  the 
artistic  unity  of  this  orchestra,  but  that  is  very 
little  when  compared  with  the  wonderful  vitality 
which  fills  and  permeates  all  its  performances. 
And  this  we  conceive  to  be  the  peculiar  and  re- 
markable characteristic  of  the  Thomas  orchestra. 
A  spirit  of  intense  life  seems  to  animate  it  in  every 
part,  and  as  a  result,  the  works  of  the  great  mas- 
ters glow  and  flame  under  its  touch,  and  the  hearts 
of  those  who  hear  burn  within  them." 

The  tour,  thus  happily  begun  in  Boston,  was 
continued  westward  as  far  as  Chicago,  where  its 
performances  made  an  equally  strong  impres- 
sion. In  describing  the  first  concert,  the  critic  of 
the  Tribune  said:  "  The  performance  of  the  Theo- 
dore Thomas  orchestra  on  Saturday  evening  wras 
without  exception  the  finest  musical  event  Chicago 
has  ever  known.  .  .  .  We  doubt  if  there  is  an 
orchestra  in  the  world  more  admirably  arranged. 
.  .  .  The  light  and  shade  of  this  orchestra  are 


56  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

something  marvelous.  ...  It  is  not  alone  that  it 
plays  in  time  and  tune,  but  it  plays  with  delicious 
expression,  and,  for  a  great  orchestra  to  take  a 
theme  pianissimo  and  literally  deceive  you  to  be- 
lieving that  the  tone  comes  from  a  great 
distance,  as  if  it  were  wafted  over  the  water,  and 
then  diminish  it  still  further  so  perfectly  that  it 
is  impossible  to  tell  when  the  tone  ends,  shows  a 
training  and  handling  almost  incredible." 

The  critic  of  the  Post  wrote  in  a  more  personal 
way  about  the  conductor  himself:  "...  What 
magic  or  mesmeric  power  is  it  by  which  the  di- 
rector, with  his  slight  baton,  winds  to  the  utmost 
tension  the  senses,  passions,  and  nerves  of  every- 
one in  his  audience  and  holds  them  sensitive  and 
powerless  beneath  his  spell?  It  is  the  power  of 
music — pure,  unalloyed,  ideal.  And  right  here 
we  may  sum  up  in  one  little  sentence  the  signal 
achievement  of  this  orchestra.  It  makes  real  and 
perceptible  to  the  hearer  the  composer's  subtlest 
ideal." 

At  that  time  the  musical  critic  of  the  Tribune 
was  George  P.  Upton,  to  whom  a  mutual  friend 
had  given  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Thomas. 
Mr.  Upton  gives  the  following  account  of  his  re- 
ception, when  he  presented  it:  "Mr.  Thomas 
greeted  me  most  cordially,  with  a  strong  grip  of 
his  powerful  hand,  and  then  with  that  peculiar 
smile  of  his,  which  had  so  many  different  meanings, 
said  in  a  brusque  way,  '  I  am  glad  to  meet  any 
friend  of  Mr.  Dohn's,  and  will  be  pleased  to  have 
you  come  and  see  me  while  I  am  here.  You  must 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  57 

not  expect  me  to  call  upon  you,  for  I  am  too 
busy,  and  besides  I  never  go  into  newspaper  offices. 
I  have  no  need  to  cultivate  the  critics,  for  I  know 
my  work.  I  do  not  care  to  read  what  they  write, 
and  would  not  have  time  if  I  did  care. '  "  *  This 
prickly  greeting  would  have  discouraged  or  of- 
fended most  men,  but  Mr.  Upton  rather  enjoyed 
it,  and  the  subsequent  call  which  he  made  upon 
Thomas  was  the  beginning  of  a  warm  and  life- 
long friendship  between  these  two  men,  so  different 
in  temperament  and  yet  so  congenial.  Thomas 
made  many  friends  in  the  course  of  his  long  and 
varied  career,  but  never  one  more  stanch 
and  true,  from  first  to  last,  than  George  P. 
Upton. 

Journeying  onward  from  Chicago,  Thomas  and 
his  men  presently  made  their  debut  in  Cincinnati. 
Here,  as  in  Boston,  Thomas  found  the  field  al- 
ready prepared  for  his  work,  for  music  had  been 
an  important  factor  in  the  life  of  the  city  for 
some  years.  Nevertheless,  the  performances  of  the 
Thomas  Orchestra  were  a  revelation  here  as  they 
had  been  in  every  previous  place.  The  critic  of 
the  Enquirer  wrote,  "  We  have  not  seen  at  any 
time  audiences  so  wrought  upon  as  those  that 
attended  the  concerts  of  Theodore  Thomas."  And 
the  comment  of  the  Gazette  after  the  first  per- 
formance was,  '  The  audience  at  Mozart  Hall 
last  night  heard  the  finest  orchestral  music  that 
has  ever  been  given  in  this  city.  .  .  .  The  evening 

*  See  "  Theodore  Thomas,  A  Musical  Autobiography,"  edited  by 
George  P.  Upton,  p.  118,  vol.  i. 


58  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

was  one,  for  those  who  heard  this  orchestra  for 
the  first  time,  to  remember  as  the  night  when 
they  were  lifted  up  and  inspired  as  never  before." 
This  was  the  beginning  of  his  long  association  with 
the  musical  life  of  Cincinnati. 

St.  Louis  and  many  other  cities  also  heard  the 
Thomas  Orchestra  for  the  first  time  on  this  im- 
portant tour,  but  I  will  quote  only  one  more  of 
the  many  enthusiastic  notices  it  inspired,  namely, 
that  which  appeared  in  the  Pittsburg  Evening 
Chronicle,  and  which  speaks  more  especially  of 
the  influence  of  Thomas  in  elevating  the  local 
standards  everywhere.  "  In  regard  to  Theodore 
Thomas  and  his  orchestra,"  wrote  the  critic  of 
this  paper,  "  the  fiat  of  the  press  and  music-loving 
public  is  one.  .  .  .  Thomas  infuses  music  and 
poetry  into  an  orchestra,  and  we  observe  with  a 
rare  sense  of  pleasure  the  precision,  delicacy,  and 
mastery  with  which  the  music  is  controlled,  lifted 
up  into  gorgeous  volumes  of  sound,  or  refined 
away  into  impalpable  realms  where  the  least  faint 
sound  lingers  trembling  on  the  ear,  and  begin  to 
comprehend  why  it  is  that  the  genius  which  evokes 
such  spells  is  hailed  with  the  acclamations  of  en- 
raptured audiences.  .  .  .  Our  people  will  ever  owe 
a  debt  to  the  artists  who  have  given  us  so  rare 
an  exposition  of  the  loftiest  orchestral  music.  We 
will  now  have  a  standard  by  which  we  can  judge 
critically  hereafter.  This  is  the  chief  excellence 
of  true  art.  It  so  elevates  the  taste  that  whoever 
once  comes  within  its  ennobling  influence  spurns 
forever  after  the  meretricious,  the  vulgar,  and  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  59 

false,  and  will  not  be  patient  with  the  common- 
place. It  excites  a  thirst  for  the  truest  and  best. 
Wherever  Theodore  Thomas  and  his  orchestra 
go  they  will  sow  seeds  that  will  bring  forth  good 
fruit.  They  will  inspire  a  love  for  a  high  order 
of  music.  They  will  promote  local  organizations. 
The  remembrance  of  these  delicious  concerts  will 
have  a  generous  and  invigorating  effect,  and  will 
powerfully  impress  on  the  people  the  incalculable 
delight  and  the  sovereign  luxury  of  such  enjoy- 
ments. They  will  begin  to  know  that  art  is 
worthy  of  all  honor,  and  that  what  has  been  said 
and  sung  in  its  praise  is  but  the  fitting  confes- 
sion of  the  intellect  and  heart  to  the  purifying  and 
strengthening  influence  of  the  beautiful.  All 
honor  then  to  the  accomplished  gentleman  and  his 
admirable  assistants  for  what  they  have  done,  and 
for  the  golden  promise  of  what  they  will  yet  do  in 
building  up  true  musical  taste  in  America." 

It  has  often  been  said  that  the  press  of  America 
was  unjust  or  antagonistic  to  Thomas,  but  this 
is  a  mistaken  idea,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  fore- 
going quotations,  which  are  only  fair  samples 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  musical  critics  gen- 
erally reviewed  his  work.  Like  all  men  of  strong 
personality  Thomas  occasionally  made  enemies, 
some  of  whom  were  connected  with  the  press  and 
used  their  official  positions  to  revenge  their  per- 
sonal grievances.  But  this  did  not  happen  very 
often,  and  the  general  tone  of  press  comment  on 
his  work  throughout  his  whole  career  was  friendly 
and  just.  He  once  said  in  this  connection:  "  I  do 


60  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

not  expect  all  newspaper  critics  to  like  me  or  my 
work,  or  that  they  will  never  find  anything  to  be 
blamed.  Every  man  has  a  right  to  his  own  opin- 
ions, and  I  am  always  ready  to  learn  if  a  critic 
can  tell  me  something  I  do  not  know  already. 
But  I  do  think  that  public  criticism  of  an 
artist's  work  should  be  made,  at  least,  in  a  kindly 
spirit;  then  it  would  not  be  so  discouraging  and 
have  such  a  paralyzing  effect  on  the  mind." 

Thomas  was  perfectly  sincere  in  saying  that  he 
was  willing  to  learn  from  anyone.  He  was  not 
only  willing,  but  eager,  and  I  have  often  been 
surprised  at  the  patience  with  which  he  would 
listen  to  the  suggestions  of  people  who  knew 
little  or  nothing  about  music,  and  the  care  with 
which  he  would  weigh  their  advice,  and  adopt 
anything  which  seemed  valuable  or  helpful.  He 
was,  however,  all  his  life,  keenly  sensitive  to  un- 
friendly or  even  unintelligent  press  criticism,  and 
to  read  an  antagonistic  or  indifferent  notice  of  one 
of  his  concerts,  would  depress  his  spirits  for 
twenty-four  hours  afterwards.  So  he  early  gave 
up  reading  press  notices  about  himself  or  his 
work,  except  such  as  appeared  in  his  daily  paper, 
or  happened  to  be  sent  to  him  by  some  friend. 
By  this  he  avoided  much  that  might  have  been 
irritating  to  his  sensitive  nature,  but  he  also  lost 
much  that  would  have  strengthened  and  encour- 
aged him  at  times  when  encouragement  was  sorely 
needed. 

The  newspaper  critics  of  the  period  of  which 
we  are  writing  were  equal  in  knowledge  and  judg- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  61 

ment  to  any  America  has  ever  had,  and  had  the 
success  of  the  Thomas  propaganda  depended  on 
them  it  would  all  have  been  plain  sailing  for  him. 
But  the  general  public,  except  in  Boston,  Cin- 
cinnati, and  New  York,  was  almost  wholly  igno- 
rant of  symphonic  music,  and  not  only  so,  but  the 
people  had  not  the  slightest  interest  in  being 
educated  to  any  knowledge  of  it.  To  the  average 
concert-goer  the  word  "  symphony "  was  a 
synonym  for  "  bore,"  and  it  repelled  rather  than 
attracted  an  audience.  Nevertheless,  the  people 
were  naturally  musical,  and  subsequent  events 
proved  that  their  indifference  was  merely  the  result 
of  unfamiliarity  with  the  higher  forms  of  composi- 
tion. Little  by  little,  as  the  years  went  by,  and 
Thomas  familiarized  them  with  one  great  symphony 
after  another  on  his  oft-repeated  visits,  the  people 
learned  to  know  and  love  the  master-works  of 
musical  literature,  and  to  differentiate  between 
music  the  art,  and  music  the  amusement.  But 
it  was  the  laborious  task  of  a  lifetime.  For  many 
years  the  Thomas  Orchestra  shone,  like  the  evening 
star,  the  sole  luminary  of  the  musical  firmament; 
at  last  a  sister  planet  rose  above  the  horizon  in 
Boston,  and  then  orchestral  stars,  large  and  small, 
came  out,  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  until  now 
there  is  hardly  a  city  in  America  which  does  not 
possess  its  own  excellent  symphony  organization. 


CHAPTER  IV 

1870-1872 

BOSTON   MUSICAL   STANDARDS   IN    1870 ANNA   MEHLIG 

THOMAS  GIVES  BEETHOVEN  PROGRAMMES  IN  ALL  THE 

LARGER  CITIES  OF  AMERICA A  LETTER  FROM  LISZT 

SIDNEY  LANIER'S  POETICAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  SUMMER 

NIGHT  CONCERT THE  GREAT  CHICAGO  FIRE  OF  1871 

MRS.  MARIA  LONGWORTH  NICHOLS  PLANS  THE  FIRST 
CINCINNATI  MUSICAL  FESTIVAL LIST  OF  BOSTON  NOV- 
ELTIES IN  1871 

THE  fall  tour  so  auspiciously  begun  in  1869 
was  continued  during  the  greater  part  of  the  win- 
ter, and  when  spring  came  Thomas  brought  the 
orchestra  home  again,  and  on  May  9,  1870,  opened 
the  Summer  Night  season  at  the  Central  Park 
Garden,  where  he  gave  134  consecutive  concerts. 
Although  the  programmes  of  these  concerts  were 
popular  in  character,  and  the  standard  of  technic 
was  supposed  to  be  a  trifle  lower  than  that  of  the 
winter,  nevertheless  this  long  series  of  daily  per- 
formances, without  even  Sundays  on  which  to 
rest,  was  a  severe  strain  on  the  conductor.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  Thomas  never  lowered  his  musical 
standard,  no  matter  when  or  where  he  conducted, 
but  the  daily  concert  was  so  much  of  a  tax  on  the 
strength  of  his  men  that  he  could  not  add  daily 
rehearsals  also  to  their  work.  He,  therefore,  held 
only  two  rehearsals  a  week,  and  in  the  short  time 

62 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  63 

they  afforded,  he  was,  of  course,  only  able  to  run 
through  the  more  difficult  passages  of  the  new 
music.  All  the  rest  was  read  at  sight  by  himself 
and  the  orchestra,  in  concert,  without  rehearsal. 
It  can  be  imagined,  then,  how  tense  was  the  con- 
centration of  mind  necessary,  when  virtuosity  had, 
for  the  time  being,  to  take  the  place  of  training, 
and  when  he  was  obliged  to  depend  on  his  personal 
magnetism  to  carry  the  orchestra  with  him,  unre- 
hearsed, through  the  infinite  gradations  of  light 
and  shade,  accent,  rhythm,  climax  and  pianissimo, 
whereby  his  conception  of  the  music  was  passed 
through  the  medium  of  his  musicians  to  the  listen- 
ing public.  That  he  himself  felt  this  strain  and 
lightened  it  when  possible,  is  easily  seen  by  a 
study  of  these  programmes,  for  whenever  he  placed 
a  new  number  on  one  of  them,  it  was  enshrined 
amidst  familiar  pieces  in  which  the  orchestra  was 
already  "  letter  perfect,"  and  would  be  repeated 
in  subsequent  concerts  as  soon  and  as  often  as 
possible,  until  it  too,  in  turn,  had  been  mastered 
and  perfected.  Thomas  could  never  have  endured 
the  tremendous  nervous  strain  of  these  long  sum- 
mer engagements,  and  the  still  greater  fatigues  of 
winter  travel,  if  he  had  not  had  a  will  of  iron,  and 
a  magnificent  physique,  reenforced  by  his  simple 
and  healthful  mode  of  life.  The  Summer  Night 
series  of  1870  was  very  successful  financially,  and 
Thomas  also  ventured  on  quite  an  artistic  advance 
in  making  its  programmes.  His  little  pocket  note- 
book for  this  year  contains  the  following  entry, 
"At  last  the  summer  programmes  show  a  respect- 


64  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

able  character,  and  we  are  rid  of  the  cornet !  Occa- 
sionally a  whole  symphony  is  given."  The  series 
finally  ended  on  September  24,  after  which  he  gave 
the  orchestra  a  few  days'  vacation  while  he  pre- 
pared for  the  opening  of  the  approaching  winter 
season. 

Thomas  did  not  allow  his  men  to  be  idle  long, 
and  early  in  October  he  started  on  a  tour  over 
the  "  highway,"  which  began  with  a  two- weeks' 
engagement  in  Boston.  The  year  1870  was  the 
centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Beethoven, 
and  Thomas  determined  to  commemorate  the  event 
by  giving  a  Beethoven  programme  in  each  of  the 
larger  cities  visited.  It  was  the  first  time  that  pro- 
grammes composed  of  Beethoven's  works  exclu- 
sively had  been  given  in  most,  if  not  all  of  them, 
and  this  made  the  tours  of  this  season  memorable 
in  an  historic  sense.  Another  interesting  feature 
of  the  spring  and  fall  tours  was  the  American 
debut  of  Miss  Anna  Mehlig,  the  first  really  emi- 
nent woman  pianist  who  came  to  this  country. 
Her  name  is  now  hardly  even  a  memory  in 
America,  nevertheless  she  was  one  of  the  best 
artists  ever  heard  in  our  concert  halls. 

At  this  time  the  most  cultivated  audience  to 
which  Thomas  gave  concerts  was  that  of  Boston. 
A  few  programmes  selected  from  the  Boston 
series  of  October,  1870,  will  therefore  serve  to  show 
the  highest  musical  standard  of  the  most  advanced 
American  community  of  that  period.  They  were 
called  "  Symphony  Concerts  "  then,  but  now  we 
should  class  most  of  them  under  the  head  of  "  pop- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  65 

ular."  Even  the  two  Beethoven  programmes  of 
the  series  were  less  severe  than  those  of  later 
years. 

BOSTON,  OCTOBER  4, 1870 
Programme 

Overture,   "  Euryanthe  " i Weber 

Concerto,  A  minor,  op.  54.  .,.  .1 ,. ...  .Schumann 

Miss  Mehlig 

Vorspiel,  "  Lohengrin  " Wagner 

Overture,  "  Egmont,"  op.  48.  . Beethoven 

Schlummerlied Buergel 

Waltz,  "  Koenigslieder  " Strauss 

Concerto  for  trombone. David 

Mr.  F.  Letsch 

Polka,  "  Pizzicato  " Strauss 

Overture,  "  Mignon  ".  ., Ambrose  Thomas 

OCTOBER  5 

Programme 

Symphony  No.  6,  in  F,  op.  68.  . .Beethoven 

Concerto  No.  2,  in  A , Listz 

Miss  Mehlig 

Eine  Faust  Overture Wagner 

March  of  the  Pilgrims,  from  Symphony  "  Harold 

in  Italy  " Berlioz 

Kamarinskaja Glinka 

Overture,  "  Genoveva,"  op.  81 Schumann 

OCTOBER  7 
Beethoven  Programme 

Symphony  No.  3,  in  E|>,  op.  55,  "  Eroica  " 
Concerto  No.  4  in  G,  op.  58 
Miss  Mehlig 


66  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Overture,  "  Coriolanus,"   op.   62 
Septet,    op.   20 

Fantasia,  op.  80,  for  piano,  chorus,  and  orchestra 
Miss  Mehlig,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

OCTOBER  14 

Overture,  "  The  Flying  Dutchman  ".  . Wagner 

Concertstueck , Weber 

Miss  Mehlig 

"  Gretchen,"  from  the  Faust  Symphony. .  .  ., Liszt 

Overture,  "  Ruy  Bias  " Mendelssohn 

Andante  and  Variations,  op.  18 Beethoven 

Waltz,  "  Buergersinn  " ...... Strauss 

Polka,  "  Pizzicato  " Strauss 

Reiter  March .,. .,. ...  .Schubert 

OCTOBER  15 

Beethoven  Matinee 

Symphony  No.  8,  in  F,  op.  93 
Concerto  No.  5  in  E|j,  op.  73 

Miss  Mehlig 

Overture,   "King   Stephen,"   op.    117 
Sonata,  op.  47,  for  piano  and  violin 
Miss  Mehlig  and  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas , 
Overture,  "  Leonore,"  No.  3,  op.  72 

Miss  Mehlig's  part  in  this  series  of  concerts  de- 
serves more  than  a  passing  mention,  for,  during 
the  two  weeks  of  its  progress,  she  played  no  less 
than  eight  concertos,  namely:  Schumann,  A  minor; 
Liszt,  Nos.  1  and  2;  Henselt,  F  minor;  Beethoven, 
Nos.  4  and  5;  Hiller,  F  minor,  and  Mozart,  D 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  67 

minor.  In  addition  to  all  these  concertos,  she 
played  the  "  Concertstueck  "  of  Weber,  and  the 
piano  parts  of  the  Beethoven  Fantasia  and  of  the 
sonata  in  which  Thomas  himself  played  the  violin. 
And  this  astonishing  list  of  works  was  played 
with  such  technical  perfection  and  interpretive 
skill  as  has  rarely  been  equaled  since  in  America. 
The  winter  of  1870-71  was  devoted  to  traveling, 
and  again  Thomas  gave  no  concerts  in  New  York 
until  the  Summer  Night  season  opened.  As  we 
have  seen,  Thomas  made  it  a  principle,  from 
the  very  start  of  his  career,  to  play  all  the  new 
music  that  was  worthy  of  a  place  on  his  pro- 
grammes, as  fast  as  it  was  composed  and  he  could 
arrange  for  its  performance.  It  was  a  matter  of 
pride  with  him  to  be  the  first  to  play,  in  America, 
every  important  work,  and  sometimes  he  was  able 
even  to  antedate  Europe  in  the  matter.  He  used 
to  say: 

"  The  people  cannot  read  new  scores  for  themselves,  as 
they  read  new  books,  it  is  therefore  one  of  the  missions 
of  a  symphony  orchestra  to  perform  for  them  the  cur- 
rent musical  literature.  Some  of  it  they  will  not  care 
for,  and  those  works  will  be  forgotten.  But  others  will 
be  found  to  have  a  permanent  interest  and  will  become  a 
valued  part  of  the  repertoire.  As  for  the  American  com- 
posers, the  only  way  in  which  to  develop  composition  in 
our  own  country  is  to  play  the  works  by  American  writers 
side  by  side  with  those  of  other  nationalities,  and  let  them 
stand  or  fall  on  their  own  merits.  I  do  not  believe  in 
playing  inferior  works  merely  because  they  are  American, 
nor  rejecting  good  ones  because  they  are  not  foreign. 


68  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Let  our  composers  realize  that  there  is  a  standard  to  be 
reached  before  they  can  be  recognized,  but  that  if  they  do 
reach  it,  they  will  be  certain  of  equal  recognition  with 
writers  of  other  nations.  They  will  then  have  an  incen- 
tive to  produce  the  best  that  is  in  them,  and  will  produce 
it." 


It  was  also  a  principle  of  Thomas  to  include 
an  important  work  by  an  American  writer  on  the 
programmes  of  all  the  great  festival  occasions  of  a 
national  character  which  he  conducted.  For  these 
works  he  always  selected  a  writer  of  known  ability, 
and  gave  him  a  commission  to  write  in  a  certain 
form — generally  a  festival  work  of  large  dimen- 
sions for  grand  orchestra,  chorus,  and  soloists.  At 
other  times  he  would  arrange  that  a  prize  should 
be  offered  for  the  best  composition  submitted  by 
any  composer  of  American  birth.  These  compe- 
titions were  open  to  anyone,  and  he  took  infinite 
pains  to  have  the  works  sent  in  passed  upon  by 
the  best  judges,  and  would  afterwards  perform, 
not  only  the  prize-winner,  but  also  any  others 
which  were  up  to  his  required  standard. 

During  the  season  of  1870-71  he  gave  a  num- 
ber of  the  works  of  Liszt,  who  was  then  at  the 
zenith  of  his  marvelous  career.  And  in  the  spring 
he  received  the  following  pleasant  letter  of  appre- 
ciation from  this  master.  It  was  the  first  of  a 
long  series  of  similar  letters  from  the  great  com- 
posers and  executive  artists  of  every  nationality 
who  were  contemporary  with  Thomas,  and  from 
which  hardly  a  name  of  importance  is  missing: 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  69 

PEST,  May  27,  1871. 
Honored  Herr   Director: 

I  have  often  heard  of  the  famous  performances  of  the 
orchestra  under  your  direction,  and  our  mutual  friend, 
Julius  Schuberth,  delighted  me  especially  by  telling  me  of 
the  unusual  care  which  you  have  given  to  the  performance 
of  my  works.  They  need — even  more  than  other,  better 
compositions — the  sympathetic  and  intelligent  care  of 
the  conductor,  on  account  of  the  many  changes  of  tempo 
and  tone  color.  The  unfortunately  too  frequent  reading- 
at-sight  performances  are  not  sufficient  for  them.  Medi- 
ocre music-making  is  a  sin  against  art;  we  demand  some- 
thing totally  different,  namely,  the  uplift  and  inspiration 
of  the  soul,  and  cry  "  Sursum  corda!  " 

Accept,  honored  sir,  my  earnest  thanks  for  your  good- 
ness, and  be  so  kind  as  to  give  my  friendly  greetings  to 
the  members  of  your  orchestra.* 

With  the  highest  respect, 

Yours  truly, 

F.  LISZT. 

The  Summer  Night  Concert  season  of  1871 
opened  at  the  Central  Park  Garden  on  May  15. 
The  programmes  of  this  series  of  concerts  show  but 
little  artistic  advance  over  those  of  previous  sum- 
mers, but  during  the  latter  half  of  the  engagement 
entire  symphonies  were  occasionally  played,  and 
amongst  the  novelties  we  find  the  first  perform- 
ances in  America  of  Wagner's  "  Kaiser  March," 
and  "  Huldigungs  March,"  on  June  22  and  Sep- 
tember 8,  respectively.  An  exquisite  description 
of  the  opening  night  of  this  season  of  concerts  has 
been  left  us  by  the  poet,  Sidney  Lanier — himself 

*  Translated  from  the  German. 


70  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

an  orchestra  player — who  happened  to  be  in  the 
audience,  and  wrote  his  impressions  of  the  per- 
formance after  his  return  home  the  same  evening, 
as  follows: 


"  This  was  the  opening  night  of  Theodore  Thomas' 
orchestra  at  Central  Park  Garden,  and  I  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  to  go  and  bathe  in  the  sweet  amber  seas 
of  this  fine  orchestra.  So  I  went  and  tugged  me  through 
a  vast  crowd,  and  after  standing  some  while,  found  a  seat, 
and  the  baton  tapped  and  waved,  and  I  plunged  into 
the  sea  and  lay  and  floated.  Ah !  the  dear  flutes,  and  oboes, 
and  horns  drifted  me  hither  and  thither,  and  the  great 
violins  and  the  small  violins  swayed  me  upon  waves,  and 
overflowed  me  with  strong  lavations,  and  sprinkled  glisten- 
ing foam  in  my  face,  and  in  among  the  clarinetti,  as  among 
waving  water-lilies  with  flexible  stems,  I  pushed  my  easy 
way,  and  so,  ever  lying  in  the  music-waters,  I  floated  and 
flowed,  my  soul  utterly  bent  and  prostrate." 

The  first  eight  months  of  the  year  1871  had 
passed  very  prosperously  for  Thomas,  and  when 
fall  came  he  felt  happy  and  hopeful.  His  summer 
concerts  had  now  been  successfully  carried  on  for 
so  many  seasons  that  they  seemed  to  have  be- 
come a  permanent  institution  for  that  part  of 
the  year,  while  the  cities  of  his  musical  "  high- 
way "  offered  him  as  many  engagements  as  he 
could  fill  during  the  winter.  All  these  remunera- 
tive engagements  enabled  him  to  employ  artists 
of  the  first  rank  for  his  orchestra,  and  the  daily 
rehearsing  and  playing  together  under  his  baton 


71 

advanced  its  technical  standard  to  the  highest 
point.  Furthermore,  he  had  now  traveled  enough 
to  have  created  a  demand  in  the  cities  often  visited, 
for  the  best  music,  and  a  little  entry  in  his  note- 
book for  this  year  says,  "  Whole  symphonies  are 
included  now  in  the  programmes  given  all  over 
the  country."  His  professional  work  was,  there- 
fore, not  only  remunerative  financially,  but  also 
satisfactory  artistically,  and  he  felt  that  at  last 
he  was  making  rapid  progress  in  his  self-appointed 
task  of  national  education,  and  that  the  future 
was  bright  with  promise. 

At  the  close  of  the  summer  season,  Thomas  and 
the  orchestra  started  westward  on  their  customary 
fall  tour  over  the  "  highway."  The  Chicago  en- 
gagement on  this  trip  was  to  have  been  an  un- 
usually long  and  important  one,  for  the  Crosby 
Opera  House  there  had  been  handsomely  reno- 
vated and  Thomas  was  to  open  it  with  a  two 
weeks'  series  of  orchestral  concerts. 

As  the  train,  bearing  the  orchestra,  neared  the 
city  on  the  morning  of  October  9,  1871,  Thomas 
was  paralyzed  by  the  announcement  that  Chicago 
was  burning,  and  the  Opera  House  already  in 
ashes!  In  short,  they  had  arrived  just  in  time  to 
witness  the  terrible  conflagration  which  so  nearly 
wiped  Chicago  off  the  map  altogether,  and,  of 
course,  the  concerts  which  Thomas  had  expected 
to  give  there  for  two  years  to  come,  were  canceled. 
A  less  scrupulous  man  than  Thomas  would  have 
come  out  of  this  catastrophe  without  such  ruinous 
results  as  it  brought  to  him,  because  in  the  travel- 


72  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ing  contracts  of  concert  and  operatic  troupes, 
there  is  a  clause  which  releases  the  management 
from  financial  responsibility  in  case  of  extraordi- 
nary accidents,  such  as  fire,  floods,  and  the  like, 
and  he  could  have  claimed  the  remission  of  all 
salaries  and  other  expenses  for  the  two  weeks  of 
enforced  idleness  on  this  ground.  Nor  could 
anyone  have  blamed  him  for  so  doing,  in  considera- 
tion of  his  own  personal  lack  of  financial  resources. 
But  he  was  unwilling  to  take  advantage  of  this 
legal  technicality,  and  would  not  ask  his  company 
to  bear  their  share  of  loss  with  him,  but  assumed 
the  whole  burden  of  the  salaries  and  expenses  of 
orchestra,  soloists,  managers,  and  all  the  other 
functionaries  connected  with  his  large  concert  or- 
ganization, just  the  same  as  if  the  concerts  had 
been  given.  But  to  make  good  this  large  sum  out 
of  his  private  earnings  meant  financial  ruin  for 
him,  and  it  was  many  years  before  he  was  able 
to  recover  from  the  disaster. 

When  he  had  ascertained  that  the  Chicago  con- 
certs could  not  be  given,  and  that  there  was  even 
no  place  in  which  the  orchestra  could  be  housed 
in  the  burning  city,  Thomas  ordered  the  train  to 
be  taken  to  Joliet,  and  here  he  and  the  orchestra 
stayed  until  it  was  time  for  the  next  engagement 
in  St.  Louis.  While  they  were  waiting  he  utilized 
the  time  for  daily  rehearsals,  and  amongst  the 
compositions  studied  was  the  Finale  of  "  Tristan 
and  Isolde."  He  had  already  produced  the  Vor- 
spiel  of  this  opera  in  one  of  his  Symphony  Soirees 
in  New  York,  in  the  year  1865,  and  he  now  linked 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  73 

it  with  the  Finale  and  prepared  it  for  performance 
in  his  next  series  of  Boston  concerts. 

The  return  trip  of  this  eventful  journey  brought 
him  to  Cincinnati  for  the  second  time.  This  city, 
like  Boston,  had  already  made  genuine  musical 
progress,  and  possessed  its  own  orchestra  and  sev- 
eral good  choral  societies,  and  was  ready  for  a 
high  standard  of  art.  During  this  visit  Thomas 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Mrs.  Maria  Longworth 
Nichols  (afterwards  Mrs.  Bellamy  Storer),  who 
laid  before  him  a  plan  which  she  had  originated 
for  a  Musical  Festival  to  be  held  in  Cincinnati  in 
May,  1873,  and  asked  him  to  be  its  conductor. 

Mrs.  Nichols  was  the  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Longworth,  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  promi- 
nent men  in  Cincinnati.  She  was  young,  hand- 
some, and  brilliantly  gifted  in  many  ways.  It 
was  she  who  made  with  her  own  hands  and  baked 
in  her  own  little  kiln  the  first  pieces  of  the  Rook- 
wood  pottery,  and  later  founded  the  institution 
which  has  made  the  name  of  her  country  place 
(Rookwood)  famous  the  world  over  as  that  of  a 
great  branch  of  ceramic  art.  Her  new  plan  for  the 
musical  art  of  her  city  was  not  less  compre- 
hensive, and  when  she  explained  it  to  Thomas, 
she  found  him  ready  to  co-operate  with  her.  He 
went  to  her  house,  and  together  they  sketched  the 
programmes  for  the  festival.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  his  local  work  in  Cincinnati — a  work 
with  which  he  continued  to  be  identified  as  long 
as  he  lived  and  which  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  his  life ;  for  the  Cincinnati  Festivals  be- 


74  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

came  a  permanent  institution,  and  are  still  main- 
tained on  the  lines  he  laid  down,  and  continue  to 
set  the  highest  standard  in  America  for  this  class 
of  performance. 

Thomas  and  the  orchestra  returned  from  this 
tour  only  to  set  forth  on  another,  and,  indeed,  most 
of  his  life  was  spent  in  wearisome  journeying  over 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  Someone 
once  mentioned  the  town  of  Duluth  in  his  hearing, 
and  he  laughingly  remarked,  "  Duluth  does  not 
exist,  if  it  did  I  should  have  given  a  concert  there." 
A  little  later,  however,  Duluth  must  have  been 
born,  for  it,  too,  began  to  figure  on  his  concert  tour 
lists.  The  month  of  December  found  Thomas 
again  in  Boston  for  a  series  of  concerts,  and  the 
list  of  compositions  which  he  gave  as  "  novelties  " 
to  that  city  during  this  engagement  is  an  interest- 
ing one,  for  nearly  all  of  them  have  long  since 
passed  into  the  regular  concert  repertoire  of  every 
American  symphony  orchestra.  It  is  as  follows : 

Symphony,  "  Im  Walde  ".  .  ., , .,.  .Raff 

Symphony,  "  Ocean,"  Adagio  and  Scherzo ....  Rubinstein 

Symphony  in  C,  op.  30 .  .1 i. . .  .  Bargiel 

Scherzo,   aus   "  Wallenstein's   Lager  " Rheinberger 

Symphonic  Poem,  "  Mazeppa  " Liszt 

Symphonic  Poem,  "  Fest-Klaenge  " , .Liszt 

Humoreske,  "  Gaudeamus  Igitur  " Liszt 

Serenade  in  F,  op.  63,  for  string  orchestra.  ...  .  Volkmann 

Pastorale  from  the  Christmas  Oratorio.  .  . Bach 

Prelude  from  the  6th  Violin  Concerto Bach 

Lohengrin,    Introduction,    Chorus,    and    March, 

Act  III ,.  .Wagner 


Mrs.  Bellamy  Storer  (Formerly  Maria  Longworth  Nichols), 

Founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Musical  Festivals  and 

Originator  of  the  Rookwood  Pottery 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  75 

Tristan  and  Isolde,  Introduction  and  Finale.  ...  .Wagner 

Kaiser  Marsch Wagner 

Huldigungs    Marsch Wagner 

Rakoczy   March.  ., Liszt 

Quartette,  D  minor,  Theme  and  Variations Schubert 

Maerchen,  Ouverture,  "  Alladin  " Horneman 

Overture,  "  Dimitri  Donskoi  " Rubinstein 

Saltarello Gounod 

German  Dances.  ., , Schubert 

Hungarian  March Schubert-Liszt 

Fantasia  on  Hungarian  Airs,  for  piano  and  or- 
chestra  Liszt 

Concerto,  E^,  for  piano , ,.  Weber 

Concerto  No.  4,  D  minor,  for  piano ,.  .  .Rubinstein 

Concerto,  D  minor,  for  piano. Brahms 

Also  the  latest  Dances  of  Strauss 

Again  Thomas  gave  no  winter  concerts  in  New 
York,  but  confined  his  performances  in  that  city 
to  the  Summer  Night  series.  The  remainder  of 
the  season  of  1871-72  was  devoted  to  traveling  en- 
gagements, but  contained  no  features  of  special 
interest. 


CHAPTER  V 

1872-1873 

FIRST  WAGNER  PROGRAMME WAGNER  VEREIN  ORGANIZED  IN 

NEW    YORK A     LETTER    FROM    WAGNER WINTER    SYM- 
PHONY CONCERTS  RESUMED  IN  NEW  YORK A  TOUR  WITH 

RUBINSTEIN     AND     WIENIAWSKI RUBINSTEIN     DESCRIBES 

ORCHESTRA FIRST    NEW    YORK    FESTIVAL    1873 FIRST 

CINCINNATI   FESTIVAL 

THE  Summer  Night  season  of  1872  opened  on 
May  8,  and  continued  until  September  23  as  usual. 
Thomas  had  now  given  these  concerts  for  seven 
consecutive  summers  and  one  would  naturally 
expect,  knowing  the  educational  design  which  lay 
behind  them,  that  he  would,  by  this  time,  have 
felt  free  to  advance  the  standard  of  his  pro- 
grammes in  accordance  with  it.  But  no,  the  pro- 
grammes for  the  season  of  1872  were  even  lighter 
than  those  of  the  previous  years.  During  the 
whole  series  only  three  symphonies  were  given 
entire,  and  the  single  important  novelty  produced 
was  the  te  Walkuerenritt "  of  Wagner.  Thomas 
had  received  the  score  of  this  number  while  travel- 
ing, and  when  the  orchestra  tried  the  music  over 
in  rehearsal  for  the  first  time,  they  complained 
that  it  was  so  difficult  that  the  violin  parts  actually 
could  not  be  played  in  the  tempo  indicated  by  the 
score.  In  this  dilemma  he  had  resource  to  a  char- 
acteristically ingenious  expedient,  and  said :  "  Let 

76 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  77 

each  of  you  begin  and  end  the  phrase  on  the 
beat,  and  play  as  many  of  the  intermediate  notes 
as  he  can.  You  will  not  all  drop  the  same  notes, 
and  what  one  misses  will  be  played  by  another 
and  the  effect  of  the  ensemble  will  be  all  right." 
The  orchestra  followed  these  instructions  and  the 
result  was  what  he  had  expected.  When  it  was 
finally  played  in  concert  on  September  17,  it  made 
such  an  impression  that  the  people  jumped  on 
their  chairs,  shouting  and  waving  hats  and  hand- 
kerchiefs until  he  was  obliged  to  give  it  a  second 
time. 

This  piece  of  music  always  had  a  peculiarly 
exciting  effect  on  the  audience,  for  Thomas  played 
it  like  the  wind,  and  with  such  furious  reckless- 
ness that  one  seemed  actually  to  see  the  warrior 
maidens  on  their  winged  steeds,  hurtling  through 
clouds  and  tempest  to  their  trysting-place  on  the 
mountain-top.  An  encore  was  always  demanded, 
but  it  was  such  a  strain  on  the  wrists  of  the  violin 
players  that  it  could  not  be  repeated  unless  it 
came  at  the  end  of  a  part,  so  that  the  men  could 
have  time  to  rest  after  it  before  beginning  the 
next  number  on  the  programme.  The  public,  not 
knowing  this,  could  not  understand  why  Thomas 
would  sometimes  encore  the  ff  Walkuerenritt"  and 
at  others,  refuse  to  do  so,  and  it  was  the  cause 
of  many  a  rousing  battle  between  him  and  his 
audiences,  and  not  a  little  sharp  criticism  of  his 
"  arbitrary  and  dictatorial  ways  "  afterwards. 

The  programme  on  which  this  favorite  number 
was  introduced  to  the  American  public  was  mem- 


78  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

orable,  also,  because  it  was  the  first  exclusively 
Wagner  programme  Thomas  gave.  The  selec- 
tions performed  were  as  follows: 

CENTRAL  PARK  GARDEN 

September  17,  1872 
Wagner  Programme 
Kaiser  Marsch 
Vorspiel  to  "  Lohengrin  " 
Eine  Faust  Overture 

Intermission 

Vorspiel  to  the  "  Meistersinger  von  Nuernberg  " 
Vorspiel  and  Finale,  "  Tristan  and  Isolde  " 
Ritt  der  Walkueren,  (First  time) 

Intermission 

Overture,   "  Tannhaeuser  " 
Ballet  from  "  Rienzi,"  (First  time) 
Huldigungs  Marsch 

While  selecting  its  numbers,  during  the  previous 
summer,  Thomas  was  inspired  with  a  great  desire 
to  produce  the  recently-composed  "  Bacchanale " 
from  "  Tannhaeuser"  and  some  other  excerpts 
from  Wagner's  operas,  which  were  not  obtainable 
through  the  music  dealers.  In  this  emergency  it 
occurred  to  him  to  write  to  von  Buelow,  thinking 
that  perhaps  he  might  own  some  of  the  desired 
manuscripts  and  would  lend  them  to  him.  In 
reply,  he  received  the  following  letter: 

MUNICH,  Aug.  11,  1872. 
Honored  Herr  Director: 

I  reply  to  your  valued  letter  immediately,  as  I  am 
leaving  town  to-morrow,  and  after  that  it  will  not  be 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  79 

possible  to  write  in  detail,  nor,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  in 
accordance  with  your  wishes.  The  principal  theme  of 
your  letter  is  the  longing  for  certain  works  of  Richard 
Wagner,  which  you  mention.  Neither  I,  nor  any  of  my 
friends  possess  copies  of  them,  or  I  would,  of  course, 
cheerfully  put  them  at  your  disposal.  Furthermore,  as 
you  will  readily  understand,  I  have  no  personal  relations 
with  the  Master,  direct  or  indirect,  so  that  I  cannot  im- 
part to  him  your  wishes.  You  must  go  to  him  yourself — 
to  Baireuth — I  believe  he  would  not  refuse  you.  The  fame 
of  your  wonderful  ability  and  activity,  and  above  all, 
your  special  efforts  in  propagating  the  Wagner  music 
in  the  new  world,  assure  you  a  better  reception  from  the 
Master,  than  he  is  in  the  habit  of  giving  to  similar  re- 
quests. He  absolutely  refuses  to  all  German  Conductors 
the  permission  to  perform  portions  of  his  later  works, 
(among  which  he  includes  the  "  Bacchancde  ")  and  in  this 
he  is  right,  for  what  is  written  for  the  stage,  and  in  Ger- 
many is  performed  there,  the  composer  does  not  wish  to 
have  find  its  way  into  the  concert  hall.  I  wish  you  luck 
in  your  attempt,  and  regret  with  all  my  heart  that  I  can- 
not aid  you  in  the  matter. 

Excuse  these  hurried  lines  and  accept  the  assurance  of 
my  respectful  admiration. 

Yours  devotedly, 

HANS  VON  BITELOW. 

After  reading  the  foregoing,  Thomas  did  not 
care  to  try  his  luck  with  the  Baireuth  Master, 
but  preferred  to  get  the  coveted  scores  through 
other  channels.  How  he  managed  to  do  this  will 
always  be  a  mystery,  but  when  it  was  a  question 
of  a  desired  score,  it  had  to  be  well  hidden,  indeed, 
to  escape  his  clutches!  He  had  many  friends  in 


80  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Europe  who  were  always  ready  to  help  him  in 
securing  any  music  he  wanted  to  produce,  for 
there  was  not  a  composer  of  any  nationality  who 
was  not  under  more  or  less  obligation  to  him  for 
bringing  out  his  works,  and  nearly  all  the  great 
executive  artists  had  played  or  sung  in  his  con- 
certs. As  for  the  music  publishers,  he  was  too 
good  and  regular  a  customer  not  to  be  favored 
by  them  whenever  he  wanted  something  out  of  the 
common.  It  is  needless  to  say,  therefore,  that  the 
"  Bacchanale "  made  its  appearance  on  his  pro- 
grammes in  due  course  of  time,  as  well  as  all  the 
other  Wagner  selections  that  he  wanted.  Indeed, 
he  played  the  Wagner  music  so  constantly,  in  all 
parts  of  America,  that  when  the  operas  were 
given  in  their  entirety  they  were  as  familiar  as 
household  words  to  the  people,  and  created  a 
furor  wherever  they  were  performed.  In  this 
country,  there  was  never  any  appreciable  opposi- 
tion to  the  so-called  "  music  of  the  future," 
and  even  the  first  Wagner  programme  Thomas 
gave  made  a  strong  impression  in  New  York. 
After  this  memorable  concert  a  supper  was  given 
to  Thomas  and  the  orchestra,  by  some  prominent 
citizens,  and  at  the  supper  the  New  York  "  Wag- 
ner  Verein  "  was  formally  organized,  and  Thomas 
elected  as  its  President.  The  object  of  this  so- 
ciety was,  like  that  of  similar  societies  in  Europe, 
"  to  aid  in  furthering  the  purpose  of  Wagner  in 
giving  his  first  grand  musico-dramatic  festival  at 
Baireuth  in  the  summer  of  1874."  Thomas  was 
the  first  American  musician  to  make  a  specialty 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  81 

of  performing  Wagner's  music;  it  was  therefore 
natural  that  he  should  have  been  the  man  to  or- 
ganize such  an  auxiliary  in  this  country.  He  had 
also  another  object  in  view  which  he  never  lost 
an  opportunity  of  promoting,  and  this  was  to 
bring  the  musical  world  of  America  into  direct 
association  with  that  of  Europe,  on  an  equal 
footing.  During  all  his  life,  whenever  any  project 
was  started  in  European  art  centers  to  which  gen- 
eral contributions  were  asked — such  as  a  statue  to 
some  great  composer,  the  preservation  of  Bee- 
thoven's birthplace,  a  Wagner  festival,  or  the 
like — Thomas  invariably  saw  to  it  that  America 
took  the  same  part  in  assisting  that  other  nations 
did.  He  was  determined  that  this  country  should 
stand  abreast  of  the  world  musically,  or  perhaps 
even  ahead. 

The  Wagner  Verein  of  New  York  worked  to 
such  good  purpose  for  the  divinity  of  Baireuth 
that  Thomas  was  able  to  send  Wagner  $10,000  as 
its  contribution  toward  his  festival  performances, 
in  acknowledgment  of  which  he  received  the  fol- 
lowing letter:* 

BAIREUTH,  October  15,  1872. 
ME.  THEODORE  THOMAS, 

Most  Honored  Sir: 

I  announce  to  you  the  receipt  of  your  valued  letter,  for 
the  contents  and  sympathy  of  which  I  am  heartily  in- 
debted to  you.  I  immediately  transmitted  your  wishes  to 
the  committee  of  my  undertaking  to  attend  to,  and  I  beg 

*  Translated  from  the  original  German. 


82  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

you  to  express  to  the  honorable  gentlemen  who  have  shown 
such  an  encouraging  interest  in  me,  my  sincere  and  great 
happiness  about  it. 

With  the  greatest  respect, 

Yours  truly, 

RICHARD  WAGNEE. 


New  York  had  now  been  without  any  series 
of  symphony  concerts  from  the  Thomas  Orchestra 
for  three  winters,  owing  to  its  constant  traveling 
at  that  season.  In  August  of  1872,  however, 
Thomas  received  the  following  letter: 

NEW  YOEK,  August,  1872. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ., 

Dear  Sir: 

The  undersigned,  remembering  with  pleasure  the  admi- 
rable Symphony  Concerts  with  which  you  favored  us  in 
former  years,  take  the  liberty  of  requesting  of  you,  if  not 
inconsistent  with  your  plans,  a  series  of  similar  concerts 
during  the  coming  season.  They  feel  deeply  how  excellent 
an  influence  such  performances  exercise  in  informing  and 
elevating  the  public  taste  for  music,  and  sincerely  hope 
that  nothing  will  prevent  you  from  giving  us  the  desired 
repetition  of  them. 

JULIUS  HALLGARTEN,  J.  R.  G.  HASSARD, 

CHARLES  C.  DODGE,  FREDERIC  DE  BILLTER, 

J.  R.  MOULD,  HENRY  DE  COPPET, 

J.  W.  SELIGMAN,  WHJTELAW  REID,  and  others. 

This  spontaneous  request  for  symphony  con- 
certs from  a  group  of  eminent  New  York  men 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  83 

was  very  encouraging  to  Thomas,  and  he  gladly 
sent  the  following  reply: 

NEW  YORK,  September  18,  1872. 
MESSES.  JULIUS  HALLGAETEN,  CHARLES  C.  DODGE, 

AND  OTHEES. 

Gentlemen: 

Your  letter  containing  a  request  for  a  repetition  of  my 
former  Symphony  Concerts  has  been  received.  It  is  a 
satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that  the  remembrance  of  these 
concerts  is  still  fresh  after  the  lapse  of  three  years, — in  a 
country  where  the  past  is  so  soon  forgotten.  This  fact 
speaks  for  the  influence  they  have  had,  and  prompts  me 
to  comply  with  your  request.  The  interest  manifested 
in  your  communication,  together  with  the  improved  taste 
in  the  musical  community  within  the  last  years,  gives  me 
the  assurance  that  these  concerts  cannot  fail  to  be  suc- 
cessful. 

Respectfully  yours, 

THEODOEE  THOMAS. 

It  was  not  an  easy  matter  for  Thomas  to  ar- 
range his  winter  tours  in  such  a  way  that  he  could 
bring  the  orchestra  back  to  New  York  once  a 
month  for  a  concert,  but  he  kept  his  word,  never- 
theless, and  hereafter  New  York,  once  more,  be- 
came his  most  important  field  of  action  in  the 
winter,  as  well  as  in  the  summer  season.  With 
the  exception  of  the  monthly  return  to  New  York 
the  winter  of  1872-73  was  devoted  to  an  almost 
continuous  concert  tour,  and  some  idea  of  the 
comprehensive  manner  in  which  Thomas  carried 
out  his  plans  for  musical  "  University  Extension," 


84 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


as  it  might  be  called,  can  be  obtained  by  glancing 
at  the  itinerary  of  the  various  tours  of  this  season, 
which  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession  from 
September  until  March: 


Albany Sept.  26 

Syracuse Sept.   27 

Rochester Sept.   28 

Buffalo Sept.  29 

Cleveland ....  Oct.  1  and  2 

Toledo Oct.   3 

Detroit Oct.  4  and  5 

CHICAGO Oct.  7  to  12 

St.  Louis Oct.  14  to  17 

Louisville Oct.  18  to  19 

CINCINNATI.  .Oct.  20  to  23 

Dayton Oct.   24 

Columbus.  ...,..,.  .Oct.    25 

Zanesville Oct.  26 

Pittsburg.  .Oct.  28  and  29 

Allentown Oct.   30 

Brooklyn Oct.    31 

NEW  YORK Nov.  9 

Baltimore.  .  .Nov.  11  to  14 
Washington ....'..  Nov.  15 

Baltimore Nov.  16 

Washington Nov.   18 

Philadelphia .  Nov.  19  &  20 
Lancaster.  ......  .Nov.   21 

Philadelphia. Nov.  22  &  23 

NEW  YORK Nov.  25 

New  Haven Nov.  26 

Hartford Nov.    27 

Springfield Nov.   28 


BOSTON Nov.   29 

Chelsea Nov.  30 

BOSTON Dec.  2  and  3 

Providence. Dec.    4 

BOSTON Dec.  5  and  6 

Worcester Dec.  7 

Lowell. Dec.  10 

Haverhill Dec.    11 

Portland Dec.    12 

Bangor Dec.   13 

Augusta Dec.    14 

Lawrence Dec.    15 

Salem Dec.  17 

Taunton .Dec.   18 

New  Bedford Dec.  19 

BOSTON.  .  .  .Dec.  20  and  21 

NEW  YORK Dec.  28 

NEW  YORK  and  Brooklyn 

(daily) Jan.  1  to  9 

Williamsburg Jan.    10 

NEW  YORK.  .....  .Jan.  11 

Hartford ,.  .Jan.   13 

NEW  YORK Jan.  15 

Baltimore.  .  .Jan.  16  to  18 
Washington.  Jan.  20  to  22 
Philadelphia.  Jan.  23  to  25 
Springfield.  Jan.  27  and  28 

Bridgeport Jan.   29 

Brooklyn Jan.  30 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


85 


NEW  YORK Jan.  31 

NEW  YORK Feb.  1 

Poughkeepsie Feb.  3 

Troy .  .Feb.    4 

Albany Feb.    5 

Utica Feb.   6 

Syracuse Feb.  7 

Auburn Feb.  8 

Rochester Feb.   9 

Lockport Feb.   10 

Buffalo Feb.   11 

Erie ..Feb.   13 

Cleveland.  .Feb.  14  and  15 

Akron. Feb.  16 

CHICAGO Feb.  17  to  20 

Milwaukee .  .Feb.  21  and  22 

Kalamazoo .  .  Feb.   24 

Grand  Rapids Feb.  25 

Jackson Feb.   26 

CHICAGO  (Wagner)  Feb.  27 


Madison Feb.   28 

Milwaukee  (Wagner) 

Feb.  29 

Bloomington Mar.    3 

Peoria.  ... ., Mar.  4 

Jacksonville Mar.    5 

Springfield Mar.  6 

Quincy.  ., Mar.  7 

St.  Louis.  .  .  .Mar.  8  and  9 

Terre  Haute Mar.  12 

Indianapolis Mar.  13 

Laf ayette .  .Mar.  14  and  15 

*  CHICAGO..  Mar.  17-18-19 

*  CINCINNATI.  ... 

Mar.    20-22-23 

*  Columbus Mar.    24 

*Pittsburg.Mar.   25-26-27 
*NEW  YORK 

.Mar.   28-29-30 


For  the  last  two  Weeks  of  March  he  made  a 
combination  with  Anton  Rubinstein  and  H. 
Wieniawski,  who  happened  to  be  in  America  at 
that  time.  These  great  artists  were  the  leading 
exponents  of  their  respective  instruments  (piano 
and  violin),  in  the  world,  and  with  such  an  ex- 
traordinary combination  as  this,  Thomas  knew  that 
the  houses  would  be  sold  out  wherever  they  played. 
Consequently,  he  was  able  to  make  the  pro- 
grammes without  any  consideration  for  the  box 
office,  and  he  was  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  it, 


*  Thomas,  Rubinstein,  and  Wieniawski. 


86  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

as  the  following  example,  given  in  Chicago,  demon- 
strates : 

CHICAGO,  MARCH  18,  1873 
Programme 

Overture,  "  The  Watercarrier  " Cherubini 

Concerto,  No.  5,  E  flat ,.  .  .  .Beethoven 

Mr.  Anton  Rubinstein 

Symphony,  "  Romeo  and  Juliet  " .Berlioz 

Concerto,  No.  2 > , Wieniawski 

Mr.  H.  Wieniawski 

Carnival Schumann 

Mr.   Rubinstein 
Huldigungs  Marsch Wagner 

It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life  that  Thomas 
had  permitted  himself  to  make  a  series  of  pro- 
grammes exactly  in  accordance  with  his  artistic 
standards — for  even  in  Boston  some  concessions 
still  had  to  be  made  to  popular  taste — and  this 
two  weeks  of  great  performances,  in  association 
with  two  of  the  most  renowned  executant  mu- 
sicians who  ever  came  to  America,  was  an  inspira- 
tion to  him  such  as  he  had  never  before  enjoyed. 
Wieniawski  and  Rubinstein,  on  their  part,  felt 
the  same,  and  after  their  return  to  New  York  the 
latter,  in  a  communication  to  William  Steinway, 
thus  described  his  experience:  "  I  shall  take 
away  with  me  from  America  one  unexpected 
reminiscence.  Little  did  I  dream  to  find  here  the 
greatest  and  finest  orchestra  in  the  wide  world. 
I  have  been  in  Munich,  Brussels,  Amsterdam, 
London,  Paris,  Vienna,  Berlin,  and  all  the  great 


87 

European  art  centers,  but  never  in  my  life  have 
I  found  an  orchestra  and  a  conductor  so  in  sym- 
pathy with  one  another,  or  who  followed  me  as 
the  most  gifted  accompanist  can  follow  a  singer 
on  the  piano.  There  exists  but  one  orchestra 
of  sixty  or  eighty  men  which  plays  so  perfectly, 
and  which  is  known  as  the  Imperial  Orchestra 
of  Paris,  and  was  created  by  a  decree  of  the 
French  Senate  in  the  days  of  the  first  Napoleon 
in  1808.  Only  trained  musicians  are  its  members, 
and  they  are  engaged  for  life.  They  may  have 
twenty  or  more  rehearsals  for  one  performance, 
to  insure  absolute  perfection,  and  they  play  as 
perfectly  as  the  Thomas  Orchestra,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, they  have  no  Theodore  Thomas  to  con- 
duct them."  * 

During  this  important  season,  Thomas  may  be 
said  to  have  reached,  at  last,  the  full  stature  of  ar- 
tistic maturity.  He  was  now  thirty-seven  years 
old,  and  in  age,  experience,  and  knowledge,  ripe 
for  larger  schemes  than  any  he  had  as  yet  at- 
tempted. It  was,  therefore,  natural  that  he  should 
have  closed  the  winter  season  in  New  York  with 
a  festival  of  what  was  then  thought  to  be  large 
dimensions.  This  festival  was  given  in  Steinway 
Hall,  during  the  last  week  in  April,  1873.  The 
hall  was  not  a  large  one,  but  to  make  room  for 
his  musical  forces  Thomas  reduced  its  size  still 
further  by  building  the  stage  out  over  the  first 
nine  rows  of  seats.  There  was  no  chorus  which 
suited  him  then  in  New  York,  so  he  sent  to  Bos- 

*  See  Mr.  Steinway's  Speech,  as  reported  in  the  Musical  Courier, 
April  29,  1891. 


88  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ton  for  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  including 
its  director,  Carl  Zerrahn,  who  directed  the  choral 
works,  and  its  organist,  B.  J.  Lang.  The  best 
soloists  were  engaged  and  the  orchestra  enlarged 
to  eighty  men.  In  short,  the  affair  was  planned 
without  regard  to  expense,  and  although  the  audi- 
ences filled  the  hall  and  the  critics  were  loud  in 
praise  of  the  performances,  Thomas  probably  had 
some  deficit  to  make  good  afterwards.  At  all 
events  he  never  gave  a  festival  again,  anywhere, 
on  his  own  responsibility.  This  first  festival  bore 
no  subsequent  fruit  in  New  York  and  was,  there- 
fore, of  no  greater  importance  than  any  other 
fine  series  of  concerts.  It  is  chiefly  interesting, 
because  it  was  Thomas'  first  effort  in  a  branch  of 
art  which  afterwards  became  his  greatest  specialty. 
The  first  Cincinnati  Festival  followed  a  few  days 
after  that  of  New  York  was  over,  and  marked 
the  beginning  of  one  of  the  most  important  labors 
of  Thomas'  life — important  not  only  to  himself, 
but  to  the  musical  history  of  America.  These 
festivals  were  intended,  from  the  start,  to  be  of 
the  highest  standard.  The  matter  of  expense  never 
entered  into  the  calculation  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors to  any  appreciable  extent  in  planning  their 
details,  as  the  whole  idea  was  to  give  a  series  of 
performances  which  should  conform  to  the  stand- 
ards of  similar  festivals  in  Europe.  In  the  end 
the  Cincinnati  Musical  Festival  standards  far  sur- 
passed those  of  Europe,  and  they  became  the  most 
perfect  concerts  of  their  class  in  the  world.  But  they 
did  not,  of  course,  reach  this  pre-eminence  at  first, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  89 

either  in  programmes  or  performance,  but  achieved 
it  only  after  many  a  long  year  of  hard  work, 
and  sincere,  unselfish  devotion  to  the  highest  ideals 
on  the  part  of  everyone  who  had  anything  to  do 
with  them.  The  record  of  these  festivals  is  a  very 
remarkable  one,  and  their  influence  on  the  mu- 
sical development  of  the  western  part  of  America 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn 
Society  of  Boston  in  the  East. 

The  first  president  of  the  "  Cincinnati  Musical 
Festival  Association,"  as  it  was  called,  was  Mr. 
George  Ward  Nichols,  the  husband  of  the  bril- 
liant woman  who  had  originated  the  scheme.  Its 
conductor  was  Theodore  Thomas  and  its  chorus 
director  Otto  Singer.  The  festival  of  1873  con- 
sisted of  seven  concerts,  three  matinees,  and  four 
evening  performances,  with  the  following  pro- 
grammes : 


FIRST  CINCINNATI  MUSICAL  FESTIVAL 

May  6,  1873 
Programme 

Dettingen  Te  Deum Haendel 

Mrs.  Smith,  Miss  Annie  Louise  Gary,  Mr.  Varley,  Mr. 
Myron  B.  Whitney,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

Symphony  No.  5,  C  minor,  op.  67. . . . Beethoven 

Aria,  "  Misero  O  Sogno  " Mozart 

Mr.  Nelson  Varley 
Chorus,  "  The  Heavens  Are  Telling,"  from  "  The 

Creation" Haydn 


90  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

May  7 
Matinee  Programme 

Overture,  "  Jubilee  " Weber 

Aria,  "  Rolling  in  Foaming  Billows,"  from  "  The 

Creation," Haydn 

Mr.  Whitney 

Allegretto,  Eighth  Symphony,  op.  93 Beethoven 

Aria  from  "  L'Etoile  du  Nord  " Meyerbeer 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith 

Chorus,  "  Ave  Verum  " Mozart 

Scherzo  and  March,  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  " 

. ,  Mendelssohn 

Overture,  "  Fra  Diavolo  " Auber 

Trio,  "  I  Naviganti  " Randegger 

Mrs.  Smith,  Mr.  Varley,  and  Mr.  Rudolphsen 

Waltz,  "  On  the  Beautiful  Blue  Danube  " Strauss 

Aria,  "  Sound  an  Alarm,"  from  "  Judas  Macca- 

bseus  ". .,.  .  .,. ., Haendel 

Mr.  Varley 

Traumerei .  .  .,.  .  . Schumann 

March  and  Chorus  from  "  Tannhaeuser  " Wagner 

May  7 
Evening  Programme 

Suite  No.  3,  in  D Bach 

Scenes  from  "  Orpheus  " Gluck 

Miss  Gary,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

Overture,  "  Coriolanus,"  op.  62 . .  .;.  .Beethoven 

Symphony  No.  2,  in  C,  op.  61 Schumann 

Aria,  "  With  Verdure  Clad,"  from  "  The  Creation  "  Haydn 

Mrs.  Dexter 
Chorus,  "  See,  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes !  " .  .  Haendel 


Photograph  by  W.  Kurtz 

Theodore  Thomas  at  40  (1875) 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  91 

May  8 
Matinee  Programme 

Overture,  "  Euryanthe  " Weber 

(a)  Morning  Hymn Mehul 

(b)  "  See,  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes  1" Haendel 

Chorus 

Aria,  "  In  Native  Worth  " Haydn 

Mr.  Varley 

(a)  "  Lift  Thine  Eyes  " Mendelssohn 

(b)  "  To  Our  Immortal  Leader  " Mozart 

Chorus 

Waltz,  "  Life  Let  Us  Cherish  " Strauss 

"  Shadow  Song  "  from  "  Dinorah  " ,.  .Meyerbeer 

Mrs.  Dexter 

"  Welcome,  Mighty  King,"  from  "  Saul  " Haendel 

Chorus 

Overture,  "  The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor  " Nicolai 

Song,  "  O  Ruddier  than  the  Cherry  " Haendel 

Mr.  Whitney 

(a)  Venetian  Boatman's  Song 

(b)  Vesper  Hymn 

(c)  "  The  Cold  Frost  Came  " 

(d)  "  Land  of  Our  Fathers  " 

Chorus 

Polka  Schnell ., . ., , Strauss 

"  Ye  Gay  and  Painted  Fair,"  from  "  The  Seasons  "  Haydn 
Mrs.  Dexter  and  Mrs.  Varley 

(a)  "  Sound  the  Timbrel  " 

(b)  "America" 

(c)  "  The  Star-spangled  Banner  " 

Chorus  of  Public  School  Children 


92  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

May  8 
Evening  Programme 

(a)  Overture,  from  "  The  Magic  Flute  " Mozart 

(b)  Aria  and  Chorus,  "  O  Isis  and  Osiris,"  from 

"  The  Magic  Flute  " Mozart 

(c)  Chorus  of  Priests,  from  "  The  Magic  Flute  ".Mozart 

Mr.  Whitney  and  Male  Chorus 

Chorus,  "  Gypsy  Life,"  op.  29 Schumann 

Eine  Faust  Overture. Wagner 

Symphony  No.  9,  in  D  minor,  op.  125 Beethoven 

May  9 

Matinee  Programme 

Overture  to  "  Leonore,"  No.  3,  op.  72 .........  Beethoven 

Aria,  "  O  God,  Have  Mercy,"  from  "  St.  Paul " 

Mendelssohn 

Mr.  J.  F.  Rudolphsen 

Andante  and  Scherzo  from  Symphony  in  C Schubert 

Chorus,  "  Gypsy  Life,"  op.  29 Schumann 

"  Kaiser  Marsch  ". Wagner 

Overture,  "  William  Tell  " Rossini 

Aria,  "  No,  No,  No,"  from  "  The  Huguenots  "  Meyerbeer 

Miss  Gary 

Waltz,  "  Wine,  Woman,  and  Song  " Strauss 

Duet,  "  Flow  Gently,  Deva  " Parry 

Mr.  Varley  and  Mr.  Whitney 
Chorus,  "  To  Thee,  Cherubim  and  Seraphim  " .  .  Haendel 

May  9 

Evening  Programme 

Vorspiel  to  "  Die  Meistersinger  " Wagner 

Twenty-third  Psalm Schubert 

Chorus  of  Women's  Voices 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  93 

Scena  and  Aria,  "  Ah !  perfido  !  "  op.  65 Beethoven 

Mrs.  Dexter 

Symphonic  poem,  "  Tasso  " Liszt 

The  First  Walpurgis  Night,  op.  60 Mendelssohn 

The  "  Hallelujah  Chorus,"  from  "  The  Messiah  ".Haendel 

A  few  years  later  in  his  career,  Thomas  would 
not  have  used  the  name  "  Festival  "  to  designate  a 
series  of  programmes  of  such  a  popular  and  mis- 
cellaneous character  as  the  foregoing,  in  any  of 
the  chief  musical  centers  of  America;  but  in  1873 
he  did  not  as  yet  dare  to  make  even  his  festival 
programmes  in  New  York  and  Cincinnati,  or 
his  symphony  programmes  in  Boston,  without  the 
sugar-coating  of  a  Strauss  waltz  to  make  the 
public  swallow  the  symphonic  pill.  Nothing,  per- 
haps, illustrates  better  than  this  fact  the  musical 
standards  of  America  in  those  days;  for  it  was  a 
fundamental  principle  of  Thomas,  throughout  his 
life,  to  make  his  programmes  always  as  much  in 
advance  of  the  popular  taste  as  the  people  would 
stand.  In  doing  this,  however,  he  had  to  feel 
his  way  very  carefully,  because,  as  he  had  no 
private  resources  to  fall  back  upon,  it  was  essen- 
tial for  him  to  make  programmes  which,  in  man- 
agerial parlance,  would  "  draw."  At  that  time 
symphonies  repelled,  rather  than  drew,  the  concert- 
going  public,  and  could  only  be  played,  little  by 
little,  as  the  people  learned  to  know  and  love 
them.  Thomas  would  not  play  trashy  music  of  any 
kind,  but  he  saw  the  necessity  of  playing  much 
that  was  light  and  tuneful,  and  no  music  served 


94  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

this  purpose  so  well  as  the  Strauss  dance  music. 
It  was  intrinsically  good  of  its  kind,  and  at  the 
same  time,  very  popular.  Truly  Johann  and 
Josef  Strauss  did  yeoman  service  in  the  musical 
education  of  America. 

The  first  Cincinnati  Festival  passed  off  so  suc- 
cessfully that  the  Board  of  Directors  decided  to 
give  a  second  two  years  later. 


CHAPTER  VI 

1873-1876 

LAST  SEASON  OF  THE  CENTRAL  PARK  GARDEN  SUMMER  NIGHT 

CONCERTS PROJECT  STARTED  FOR  A  NEW  ORCHESTRA 

BUILDING — THOMAS'  FIRST  SKETCH  FOR  AN  ORCHESTRAL 
INSTITUTION  AND  THE  BUILDING  SUITABLE  FOR  THE  SAME 
SECOND  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL COMPOSERS5  PRO- 
GRAMMES AND  CLOSING  PROGRAMME  OF  THE  SUMMER 
NIGHT  CONCERTS  OF  1875 THE  PHILADELPHIA  CEN- 
TENNIAL EXPOSITION THOMAS  APPOINTED  MUSICAL 

DIRECTOR  OF  THE  INAUGURAL  CEREMONIES A  BUSINESS 

TRANSACTION    WITH    WAGNER A    DISASTROUS    SUMMER 

NIGHT  SEASON  IN  PHILADELPHIA THOMAS  FINANCIALLY 

RUINED MUSICAL  LIBRARY  SOLD  BY  THE  SHERIFF A 

LETTER  FROM  SIR  ARTHUR  SULLIVAN 

A  FEW  nights  after  his  return  from  Cincinnati, 
Thomas  began  his  regular  series  of  summer  con- 
certs at  the  Central  Park  Garden.  The  two  fes- 
tivals which  he  had  just  conducted  had  given  him 
a  new  and  progressive  impetus  in  his  art,  and  the 
programmes  of  this  season  show  a  great  advance 
over  those  of  any  previous  summer.  They  were 
still  miscellaneous  and  light  in  general  character, 
but  were  composed  of  the  very  gems  of  that  class 
of  literature.  On  Thursday  evenings  the  second 
part  of  the  programme  always  contained  a  sym- 
phony, and  on  other  nights  it  usually  contained 
at  least  one  symphonic  movement,  or  some  work 
written  in  the  sonata  form;  while  the  first  and 

95 


96  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

third  parts  were  rich  with  pearls  from  the  works 
of  the  masters,  skillfully  set  amongst  lighter  or 
more  modern  numbers.  The  Strauss  waltzes  were 
retained,  but  they  were  no  longer  the  chief  feature 
of  the  evening,  but  were  used  like  the  foam  on 
champagne,  to  make  the  programme  sparkle. 

Thomas  was  still  deeply  in  debt,  as  the  result 
of  the  Chicago  fire,  but  the  future,  nevertheless, 
looked  hopeful  to  him  once  more,  because  a  proj- 
ect was  started  by  some  business  men  to  build 
a  hall  in  New  York  for  the  use  of  his  orchestra, 
and  he  knew  that  with  the  possession  of  such  a 
building,  not  only  would  the  financial  problems 
of  his  organization  disappear,  but  its  artistic  effi- 
ciency would  be  increased  a  hundredfold.  The 
proposed  hall  was  intended  for  use  in  both  winter 
and  summer,  and  with  this  idea  in  view,  Thomas 
sketched  the  following  plan  for  its  construction, 
and  for  the  Art  Institution  which  he  intended  to 
develop  within  its  walls. 

PLANS  FOE  THE  CONSTRUCTION  AND  USES  OF  AN 
ORCHESTRAL  BUILDING 
BY  THEODORE  THOMAS 

New  York,  as  the  metropolis  of  America,  ought  to 
establish  a  permanent  orchestra  as  an  art  factor,  and  also 
as  an  educational  medium.  The  following  scheme  for 
such  institution  is  both  desirable  and  practical,  and  its 
first  essential  is  the  possession  of  a  building  which  shall 
contain  all  the  necessary  facilities  for  its  work,  and,  in 
particular,  a  hall  suitable  for  both  winter  and  summer 
concerts. 

This  hall  shall  have  a  seating  capacity  of  about  2,500, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  97 

and  shall  be  so  arranged  that,  by  removing  partitions 
so  as  to  include  the  foyers  and  corridors,  in  the  summer 
season,  it  can  accommodate  about  5,000. 

The  height  of  the  hall  at  the  stage  end  shall  be  not 
more  than  fifty  or  sixty  feet.  The  floor  shall  rise  towards 
the  rear.  The  finish  of  walls  and  ceiling  shall  be  entirely 
of  wood.  Such  removable  partitions  as  are  under  galleries 
may  be  of  iron. 

The  hall  shall  have  two  galleries,  one  of  which  shall 
extend  around  three  sides  of  the  auditorium,  and  the 
other,  above,  across  the  rear  end  only. 

For  the  Summer  Night  Concerts,  small  tables  may  be 
placed  at  the  extreme  rear  of  the  hall,  at  which  wine  or 
beer  may  be  served,  and  smoking  allowed  during  the  inter- 
missions. But  no  refreshments  may  be  served,  or  waiters 
allowed  to  move  about  during  the  music. 

The  regular  orchestra  of  the  institution  shall  be  en- 
gaged by  the  year  and  consist  of  70  men,  enlarged  to 
100  for  symphony  concerts. 

In  winter  the  season  shall  consist  of  six  months,  with 
four  concerts  a  week,  classified  as  follows : 

I.  Symphony  Concerts — Twelve  Matinees,  given  fort- 
nightly; Twelve  Evenings,  given  fortnightly. 

II.  Sunday   Concerts — Twenty-four    Evenings,   given 
weekly. 

III.  Young  People's  Concerts — 'Twenty-four  Matinees, 
given  weekly. 

IV.  Out-of-Town  Concerts — Given  fortnightly. 

In  summer  the  season  shall  consist  of  five  months,  with 
concerts  given  every  evening  and  on  Saturday  afternoons. 

Between  the  summer  and  winter  seasons,  a  vacation  of 
two  weeks  will  be  given  to  rest  the  men,  and  give  time  to 
change  and  prepare  the  hall. 

It  will  be  the  aim  of  the  institution,  to  form  as  soon  as 


98  MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

practicable,  a  choral  society  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
such  works  as  the  Ninth  Symphony,  in  which  a  highly- 
trained  chorus  is  needed.  Also  a  school  for  the  higher 
instruction  of  musicians,  where  all  orchestral  instruments 
will  be  taught,  as  well  as  harmony,  counterpoint,  and  com- 
position. In  this  school,  an  orchestra  and  chorus  of  the 
pupils  will  be  formed,  and  an  opportunity  given  to  pupils 
to  conduct  and  hear  their  own  compositions. 

For  the  school  extension  a  small  hall  will  be  needed 
for  chamber  concerts,  recitals,  and  for  the  practice  of  the 
school  orchestra  and  chorus. 

Had  the  proposed  building  been  put  up  in 
accordance  with  this  simple  and  practical  plan 
then,  when  land,  building  materials,  and  labor 
were  comparatively  cheap,  it  could  have  been  done 
for  a  moderate  sum.  And  what  a  magnificent  art 
institution  would  by  this  time  have  been  perma- 
nently established  in  New  York!  Thomas  was 
then  a  young  man  and  could  have  given  to  its 
development  the  best  years  of  his  life.  An  earnest 
of  what  he  might  have  done  in  New  York  under 
favorable  circumstances  was  shown  a  few  years 
later,  in  what  he  accomplished  in  the  Cincinnati 
College  of  Music  under  the  most  unfavorable 
possible  circumstances  in  eighteen  months. 

Cheered  by  the  hope  of  this  longed-for  building, 
Thomas  announced  the  traveling  season  of  1873- 
74  as  the  last.  Alas!  It  was  much  nearer  to  the 
beginning  than  the  end  of  this  arduous  class  of 
engagement,  and  the  building  so  essential  to  the 
permanency  and  full  development  of  the  institution 
he  was  working  for,  was  still  thirty  years  in  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  99 

future.  And  so  the  wearisome  life  of  incessant 
traveling  with  the  orchestra  was  resumed,  with 
periodical  returns  to  New  York  for  the  symphony 
concerts  there  and  in  Brooklyn,  and  the  long 
Central  Park  Garden  series  in  summer. 

Except  for  the  little  flurry  of  hope  about  the 
orchestra  building,  and  its  subsequent  disappoint- 
ment, nothing  unusual  marked  the  flight  of  time 
for  Thomas,  until  the  second  Cincinnati  Festival 
in  May,  1875.  The  evening  programmes  of  this 
festival  were  made  in  accordance  with  what  he 
considered  a  festival  standard.  But  those  for  the 
matinees,  although  the  Strauss  waltzes  were  dis- 
carded, were  still  of  a  somewhat  popular  character. 
At  the  second  concert  Mendelssohn's  "  Elijah " 
was  given  and  during  the  performance  an  im- 
pressive and  characteristic  incident  happened. 
There  had  been  a  long  drought  and  the  country 
was  suffering  very  much  for  rain.  All  day  the 
longed-for  clouds  had  been  gathering  and  just 
as  Thomas  gave  the  signal  for  the  famous  chorus, 
'  Thanks  be  to  God,"  the  rain  descended  in  tor- 
rents. Nothing  inspired  Thomas  so  quickly  as  a 
display  of  the  forces  of  nature,  and,  entering  in- 
stantly into  sympathy  with  the  storm,  and  the 
feeling  of  public  thankfulness  for  the  coming  of 
the  rain,  he  gathered  all  his  forces — chorus,  or- 
chestra, and  organ — in  one  sublime  outburst, 
harmonizing  with  and  rising  above  the  tumult  of 
the  elements  without,  as  they  sang  that  great  song 
of  thanksgiving:  "Thanks  be  to  God,  He  laveth 
the  thirsty  land !  The  waters  gather  together,  they 


100          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

rush  along,  they  are  lifting  their  voices!  The 
stormy  billows  are  high,  their  fury  is  mighty, 
but  the  LORD  is  above  them  and  he  is  AL- 
MIGHTY!" So  tremendous  and  overpowering 
was  the  effect,  that  to  this  day,  the  old  members 
of  the  chorus  of  that  memorable  evening — now 
thirty-six  years  in  the  past — cannot  speak  of  it 
without  tears  in  their  eyes.  The  festival  was  so 
successful  that  a  third  was  decided  upon,  which 
was  to  be  given  in  May,  1878. 

Meantime  the  work  of  the  last  ten  years  in 
New  York,  especially  that  of  the  summer  season, 
began  to  show  its  legitimate  results,  and  an  audi- 
ence had  been  formed  which  could  enjoy  the  best 
music.  The  programmes  of  the  summer  concerts, 
the  standard  of  which  had  been  raised  so  slowly 
during  their  first  years,  now  became  of  almost 
equal  importance  with  the  symphony  concerts 
of  the  winter  season.  But  the  concerts  had  been 
so  uniformly  successful  in  a  financial  way  that  they 
began  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  purveyors  of 
popular  amusements,  and  cheap  imitations  of  them 
sprung  up  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  which  took 
off  just  enough  of  the  patronage  of  the  Thomas 
concerts  to  absorb  the  profits  they  had  formerly 
yielded.  The  summer  of  1875  was  therefore  the 
last  in  which  Thomas  gave  concerts  at  the  Central 
Park  Garden,  and  in  losing  this  long  home  engage- 
ment, he  lost  the  only  remunerative  concerts  that 
New  York  afforded,  for  his  symphony  concerts 
in  that  city  were  never  profitable. 

Perhaps  it  was  because  he  knew  that  this  last 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           101 

season  would  not  pay  anyway,  that  Thomas  grew 
reckless  as  to  the  box  office,  and  made  its  pro- 
grammes only  with  reference  to  the  taste  of  the 
initiated.  At  all  events  they  were  marvels  of  art. 
On  Thursday  evenings,  Symphony  programmes 
of  the  highest  standard  were  given  throughout  the 
season,  and,  after  the  first  of  August,  Composers' 
programmes  were  added  on  Tuesdays  and  often 
even  on  Saturdays,  which  included  symphonies. 
This  series  of  Composers'  programmes  is  so  re- 
markable that  it  is  given  here  entire.  Nothing 
can  better  illustrate  the  advance  of  musical  culture 
in  New  York  during  the  nine  years  which  had 
elapsed  since  Thomas  began  his  Summer  Night 
Concerts  there,  than  a  comparison  of  these  pro- 
grammes with  those  given  at  Terrace  Garden  in 
1866.  One  of  the  latter — a  fair  sample  of  the  rest 
— is  also  appended  by  way  of  contrast. 

TERRACE  GARDEN,  JUNE  11,  1866 

Programme 

Overture,  "  Semiramide  " Rossini 

Waltz,  "  Wiener  Kinder  " , , Strauss 

Selections  from  "  II  Ballo  in  Maschera  " .Verdi 

Galop,  "  Postilion  d' Amour  " Hermann 

Intermission 

Overture,  "  Oberon  " Weber 

"  S'Hoamweh,"  Steyer .  .  .Lanner 

Fantasia,  "  Quodlibet,  the  Musical  Confectioner  " .  .  Hamm 
Overture,  "  The  Marriage  of  Figaro  " Mozart 

Intermission 
Quadrille,  "  Bijouterie  ".  ., .Strauss 


102          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Romanze  from  "  Robert  le  Diable  " Meyerbeer 

"  Potpourri  " Gungl 

CENTRAL  PARK  GARDEN,  NEW  YORK 
SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS 

AUGUST  3,  1875 
Beethoven  Programme 

Selections  from  Ballet  Music,  "  Prometheus,"  op.  43 

Overture.     Adagio.     March 

Septette,  op.  20.  Theme  and  Variations.  Scherzo.  Finale 
Overture,  "  Coriolan,"  op.  62 

Intermission 

Symphony  No.  5,  C  minor,  op.  67 
Allegro  con  brio 

Andante  con  moto 
Scherzo 

Finale 

Intermission 

Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  3,  op.  72 
Romanze  in  G,  op.  40 
Turkish  March,  "  Ruins  of  Athens,"  op.  113 

AUGUST  10,  1875 

t 

Schubert  Programme 

Overture,  "  Fier-a-Bras  " 
Octette.     (First  time) 

Introduction — Allegro 
Andante 

Scherzo 

Andante  molto — Allegro 
Intermission 


103 

Symphony  No.  9  in  C 

Introduction — Allegro  ma  non  troppo 
Andante  con  moto 
Scherzo 
Finale 

Intermission 

Entr'acte,  "  Rosamunde  " 
Theme  and  Variations,  Quartette  in  D  minor.  (For  string 

Orchestra  ) 
Overture,  "  Alfonso  and  Estrella  " 

AUGUST  17, 1875 

Mozart  Programme 

Introduction  and  Fugue,  for  String  Orchestra 
Masonic  Funeral  Music 

Concertone,  for  two  Solo  Violins,  Oboe,  Violoncello,  and 
Orchestra 

Allegro  spiritoso 

Andantino  grazioso 

Tempo  di  Minuetto 
Overture,  "  Magic  Flute  " 

Intermission 

Symphony  in  C    (Jupiter) 
Allegro  vivace 

Andante  cantabile 
Minuetto 

Finale — Allegro  molto 

Intermission 

Overture,  "  Marriage  of  Figaro  " 
Concerto  for  Flute  and  Harp 
Allegro 

Andantino 

Rondo — Allegro 
Rondo  de  Chasse 


104          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

AUGUST  24,  1875 
Beethoven  Programme 

Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  1 

Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  2 

Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  3 
Overture,  "  Fidelio  " 
Intermission 

Symphony  No.  7,  in  A,  op.  92 

Poco    sostenuto — Vivace.      Allegretto — Presto.      Allegro 
con  brio 

Intermission 
Septette,  op.  20 

Theme  and  Variations.         Scherzo.         Finale 
Overture,  "  Egmont  " 

SEPTEMBER  4,  1875 
Mendelssohn  Programme 

Overture,  "  Athalia  " 

Symphony  No.  3  in  A  minor    (Scotch  ) 

Andante  con  moto — Allegro.    Vivace.   Adagio.    Allegro 

Intermission 

Concerto  in  G  minor,  for  Piano  and  Orchestra 
Molto    allegro.    Andante.      Presto. 

Molto    allegro — Vivace 
Intermission 
Music  to  the  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  " 

Overture.    Scherzo.    Intermezzo.    Nocturne.    Wedding 
March 

SEPTEMBER  9, 1875 
Berlioz-Liszt-Wagner  Programme 

BERLIOZ 
Overture,  "  Carnaval  Remain  " 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          105 

Symphony,  "  Harold  in  Italy,"  op.  16 
Harold  in  the  Mountains 

March  and  Evening  Prayer  of  the  Pilgrims 

Serenade  of  a  Mountaineer  of  the  Abruzzi 
Orgy  of  the  Brigands 

Intermission 

IJSZT 

Symphonic  Poem,  "  Les  Preludes  " 
Song,  "  Die  Loreley  " 

Mr.  H.  A.  Bishoff 
Mephisto  Waltz,  after  Lenau's  "  Faust  " 

Intermission 
WAGNER 

Introduction  and  Finale,  "  Tristan  and  Isolde  " 
Siegmund's  Love  Song,  from  "  Die  Walkuere  " 

Mr.  H.  A.  Bishoff 
Kaiser  Marsch 

SEPTEMBER  11, 1875 

Schumann  Programme 

Symphony  No.  £,  in  C 

Introduction — Allegro  ma  non  troppo.    Scherzo.    Adagio 
expressivo.    Allegro  molto  vivace 

Intermission 
Concerto  in  A  minor  for  Piano  and  Orchestra 

Allegro  affetuoso.         Intermezzo.         Allegro  vivace 
Mr.  S.  B.  Mills 

Intermission 
Selections  from  the  music  to  Byron's  "  Manfred  " 

Overture.    Interlude.    Invocation  to  the  Alpen  Fay 
Overture,  "  Genoveva  " 


106          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

SEPTEMBER  14,  1875 

Wagner  Programme 
"  Tannhaeuser  " 
Overture 

Romanze.  (Wolfram),  Act  III 

Bacchanale.  (Written  for  the  Paris  Grand 

Opera  in  1861 ) 
"  Lohengrin  " 
Vorspiel 

Intermission 
"  Die  Walkuere  " 

Introduction,  (First  time) 

Siegmund's  Love  Song,  Act  I 
Ritt  der  Walkueren 

Wotan's  Farewell  to  Briinnhilde 

The  Magic  Fire  Scene 
Intermission 
"  Die  Meistersinger  von  Nuernberg  " 

Introduction  and  Prize  Song,  Act  III 

Overture 
Soloists,  Mr.  H.  A.  Bishoff  and  Mr.  F.  Remertz 

SEPTEMBER  16, 1875 
Last  Central  Park  Garden  Programme 

Suite  No.  8,  in  D. Bach 

Overture.    Air.    Gavotte.    Bourree.     Gigue 

Symphony  in  G,  (B.  &  H.  No.  13). .  . Haydn 

Introduction — Allegro.     Largo.     Minuetto.     Finale. 
Intermission 

Overture,  "  Magic  Flute  " •.  .> .Mozart 

Masonic  Funeral  Music Mozart 

Concerto  for  Flute  and  Harp,  First  Movement.  .  .  .Mozart 
Intermission 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  107 

Sonata,  "  Appassionata,"  for  Piano Beethoven 

Mr.  S.  Liebling 

Symphony  No.  5,  C  minor.  .  . .Beethoven 

Allegro  con  brio.     Andante  con  moto.     Allegro — 
Allegretto 

Thus  ended  the  famous  Central  Park  Garden 
concerts,  and  hereafter  Thomas  was  obliged  to 
travel  in  summer  as  well  as  in  winter,  to  keep  his 
orchestra  together — for  he  did  not  even  yet  give 
up  the  hope  that  it  would  be  made  permanent  when 
the  time  should  at  last  be  ripe  for  it. 

It  was  during  this  summer  that  Thomas  received 
the  following  letter  from  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  the 
English  composer,  which  is  of  interest  to  American 
readers  because  his  charming  light  operas  have 
endeared  his  name  to  the  American  public  in  a 
greater  degree  than  that  of  any  other  writer  of 
similar  music.  But  although  he  is  known  here 
chiefly  by  his  operas,  he  was  also  a  composer  of 
other  classes  of  music,  and  Thomas  of  course  had 
played  those  of  his  works  which  were  suitable  for 
orchestral  concerts.  In  acknowledgment  of  this, 
Sullivan  wrote  as  follows: 

LONDON,  July  1,  1875. 
My  dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

May  I  beg  your  acceptance  of  the  accompanying  two 
pieces  for  the  orchestra,  (of  which  I  send  you  the  score 
and  parts,)  as  an  acknowledgment  of  your  kind  endeavors 
to  make  some  of  my  orchestral  music  known  to  the  Ameri- 
can public  ? 

They  are  the  orchestral  introduction  to  the  first  and 


108 

second  parts  of  my  "  The  Light  of  the  World,"  and  are 
styled,  respectively,  "  Bethlehem,"  and  "  Jerusalem."  The 
two  are  frequently  played  together  in  English  concerts, 
and  I  thought  they  might  be  useful  to  you  in  making  up 
your  numerous  programmes.  I  will  send,  by  the  next 
post,  a  few  analytical  remarks  which  are  generally  printed 
on  the  programmes  here,  in  case  you  might  find  them  use- 
ful for  the  same  purpose. 

I  have  only  one  favor  to  ask  in  return,  viz. :  if  you  go 
to  Philadelphia,  will  you  play  them  there,  as  it  would  give 
much  pleasure  to  a  very  dear  friend  of  mine  there,  who 
has  heard  them  in  England? 

I  am,  my  dear  sir,  with  best  compliments, 

Yours  truly, 

ARTHUR   SULLIVAN. 

At  the  close  of  the  summer  season,  Thomas 
started  on  his  customary  winter  tours,  which 
followed  each  other  with  but  little  intermission 
until  the  spring  of  1876.  But  in  spite  of  his  hard 
work  he  had  been  unable  to  make  any  financial 
headway.  He  was  now  nearly  twenty  thousand 
dollars  in  debt,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  way 
by  which  he  could  meet  this  large  obligation. 
Under  these  circumstances  he  was  glad  to  accept 
an  engagement  in  Philadelphia  for  the  summer 
of  1876,  which  promised  large  returns,  and  so 
confident  was  he  that  he  would  make  enough 
money  to  pay  his  debts,  that  he  arranged  to  have 
the  profits  of  his  venture  paid,  not  to  himself, 
but  to  a  trustee,  who  was  to  turn  them  over  to 
his  creditors. 

The  year  1876  was  that  of  the  Philadelphia 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          109 

Centennial  Exposition,  and  its  directors  had  of- 
fered Thomas  the  musical  directorship  of  the 
opening  ceremonies.  A  supplementary  engage- 
ment to  give  Summer  Night  Concerts  during  the 
six  months  of  the  Exposition,  was  suggested  by 
the  Women's  Committees  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, at  the  head  of  which  was  Mrs.  E.  D. 
Gillespie.  These  ladies,  who  represented  the 
wealth  and  culture  of  Philadelphia,  had  acquired, 
through  the  gift  of  a  generous  fellow  citizen,  the 
use  of  the  mansion  and  grounds  formerly  owned 
by  Edwin  Forrest.  A  hall  seating  4,000  persons 
was  added,  and  the  house  itself  was  fitted  up  as 
a  restaurant.  The  use  of  this  apparently  ideal 
place  was  tendered  to  Thomas  for  summer  con- 
certs, and,  as  the  Exposition  closed  at  sunset  every 
day,  it  seemed  inevitable  that  the  thousands  of 
strangers  in  the  city  would  gladly  avail  them- 
selves of  such  a  delightful  way  of  spending  their 
otherwise  unoccupied  evenings  as  these  concerts 
would  afford.  The  Women's  Committees  did  not 
guarantee  the  concerts  in  any  way,  nor  did 
Thomas  consider  it  necessary,  but  they  promised 
to  promote  their  success  by  every  means  in  their 
power,  and  under  such  favorable  auspices  Thomas, 
felt  confident  that  the  season  would  be  a  very 
profitable  one. 

The  president  of  the  Women's  Committees, 
Mrs.  Gillespie,  was  a  descendant  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  and  as  public-spirited  in  her  generation 
as  her  famous  ancestor  had  been  in  his.  Brilliant, 
witty,  fascinating,  courageous,  and  strong  of  mind, 


110          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

as  she  was  warm  of  heart,  this  remarkable  woman 
stands  out  as  one  of  the  first  and  best  of  her 
country  and  century.  Her  whole  life  was  given 
to  promoting  the  educational  and  philanthropic 
advancement  of  her  city,  and  her  work  as  the 
president  of  the  Woman's  Department  of  the 
Centennial  Exposition  of  1876  set  the  model  for 
all  similar  expositions  since.  She  was  a  con- 
noisseur of  music  as  of  many  other  things,  and 
when  Thomas  accepted  the  directorship  of  the 
opening  ceremonies  of  the  Exposition,  she  wrote 
him  that  her  committees  would  be  responsible  for 
all  the  expenses  of  a  chorus  for  the  occasion,  and 
also  that  they  would  pay  an  honorarium  for  the 
composing  of  an  inaugural  march,  if  he  would 
arrange  with  some  famous  European  composer 
to  undertake  the  work. 

Thomas  agreed  to  do  this  and  at  once  opened 
negotiations  with  Wagner  on  the  subject.  The 
correspondence  was  carried  on  partly  by  Thomas 
in  person,  and  partly  by  Mr.  Federlein,  who 
wrote  on  his  behalf,  and  the  following  letters  * 
from  the  great  composer  were  in  answer  to  one 
or  the  other  of  them.  Wagner  accepted  the 
commission,  and  the  very  large  honorarium — 
which  he  took  good  care  should  be  in  the  hands 
of  his  banker  before  Thomas  had  a  chance  to  ex- 
amine his  score, — but  the  rest  of  his  part  of  the 
transaction  was  anything  but  creditable  to  a  man  of 
his  pre-eminence  in  the  world  of  art.  For  he  not 
only  demanded  a  disproportionately  large  price  for 

*  Translated  from  the  original  German. 


Photograph  by  F.  Gutekunst 


Mrs.  E.  D.  Gillespie  of  Philadelphia 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          111 

his  work,  but  broke  his  promise  in  regard  to  with- 
holding its  publication  in  Europe  until  six  months 
after  its  publication  in  America,  and,  without 
Thomas's  knowledge  or  consent,  actually  had  a 
European  edition  of  Rubinstein's  arrangement  of 
it  printed  and  shipped  to  America  before  the 
score  itself  was  transmitted  to  Thomas.  But, 
worst  of  all,  when  the  score  did  finally  arrive, 
the  composition  proved  to  be  so  poor  that  it  was 
practically  worthless. 


BAYREUTH,  Dec.  22,  1875. 
Dear  Mr.  Federlein: 

Please  express  to  Herr  Musik-Director  Thomas  my  best 
thanks  for  his  kind  efforts  in  America  in  behalf  of  myself 
and  my  enterprises  over  here.  As  regards  his  latest  re- 
quest to  me,  I  will  say  that  it  is  quite  possible  that  for 
the  opening  of  the  American  national  festival,  something 
may  occur  to  me — perhaps  in  broad  March  form — that 
I  can  make  use  of,  although  I  have  not  written  a  note  of 
music  for  a  long  time,  and  have  quite  got  out  of  the  way 
of  so-called  composing,  which  you  will  easily  understand. 

Well — if  I  send  you  the  thing,  I  shall  expect,  in  return, 
that  the  Americans  will  behave  well  towards  me,  especially 
as  regards  the  furtherance  of  my  festival  plays,  which  I 
have  postponed  with  special  reference  to  them,  to  the  sec- 
ond half  of  August,  at  the  cost  of  considerable  trouble  in 
regard  to  the  singers  to  be  engaged.  I  hope  soon  to  be 
assured  of  the  American  visitors. 

Yours  truly, 

RICHARD  WAGNER. 


112          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

II 

BAYREUTH,  Feb.  8,  1876. 
MR.  THEODORE  THOMAS, 

Dear  Sir: 

I  seize  this  opportunity  to  express  to  you  my  hearty 
thanks  for  your  labors  in  America,  so  helpful  in  promoting 
the  spirit  of  German  music,  and  which  have  been  also  of 
use  in  my  undertaking. 

In  respect  to  the  affair,  hitherto  conducted  through  Mr. 
Federlein,  I  must  first  express  my  regret  that  our  corre- 
spondence— rendered  difficult  by  the  great  distance,  and 
recently  also  by  your  absence  from  New  York — has  been 
so  protracted.  I  wish,  therefore,  that  this  thing  may  be 
concluded,  and  declare  myself  ready  to  execute  a  com- 
position for  grand  orchestra,  of  the  caliber  and  character 
of  my  Kaiser  March,  for  the  celebration  of  the  100th 
anniversary  of  American  Independence.  To  deliver  it  for 
shipping  March  15,  to  a  banking  house  in  Germany,  desig- 
nated by  you,  against  the  payment  of  five  thousand  dollars 
for  the  receipt  of  the  manuscript.  For  this  sum,  demanded 
by  me,  I  confer  upon  you  the  entire  ownership  of  the 
work  in  question  for  America,  not,  however,  for  Europe, 
for  which  I  am  bound  by  contract  to  B.  Schott  and  Sons. 
I  pledge  myself,  however,  not  to  allow  the  German  publi- 
cation to  be  issued  till  six  months  after  the  American. 

I  do  not  know  whether  it  will  seem  wise  to  you  to  pay 
the  sum  mentioned  for  the  unrestricted  ownership  (and 
naturally  also  performances)  of  my  composition,  but 
for  the  largeness  of  my  demand  recent  experiences  de- 
termined me.  I  have  already  been  offered  $2,250  for  a 
similar  composition,  by  a  Berlin  publisher,  which,  by  the 
way,  would  have  been  unconnected  with  a  national  cele- 
bration. Mr.  Verdi  has  received  from  his  publisher, 
Recordia,  $100,000  for  the  absolute  copyright  and  per- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          113 

formances  of  his  Requiem.  Therefore  it  may  be  allowed 
me  to  draw  the  conclusion  of  the  value  of  the  composition 
of  an  author  already  celebrated.  In  this  respect  also,  I  have 
to  pay  great  attention  to  the  value  of  works  until  now 
given  away  for  nothing,  because,  until  now,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  save  from  the  receipts  of  the  same  a  penny. 
I  beg  you  to  communicate  to  me,  therefore,  by  a  tele- 
gram, your  acceptance  of  my  conditions,  and  I  authorize 
you  to  deduct  the  cost  of  the  telegram  from  my  hono- 
rarium. Or,  if  I  do  not  receive  the  telegram  at  the  right 
time,  I  will  take  it  for  granted  that  you  cannot  conform 
to  my  demand.  In  either  case  I  will  always  remain, 
Your  very  humble  and  obliged  servant, 

RICHARD  WAGNER. 

m 

BAYREUTH,  Feb.,  1876. 
MR.  FEDERLEIN, 

Dear  Sir: 

All  that  you  write  me  makes  me  very  sorry,  and  I  re- 
gret very  much  the  disappointment  of  Mr.  Thomas.  I 
thought  little  of  the  intention  of  the  Ladies'  Society  to 
make  money  out  of  my  March,  because,  in  buying  it  for 
this  society,  Mr.  Thomas  wrote  me  that  no  American 
publisher  had  wanted  to  undertake  it,  because  the  com- 
position of  a  foreign  composer  has  no  international  copy- 
right, therefore  no  compensating  profit  could  be  drawn 
from  the  work  from  Europe.  The  purchase  of  my  work 
seemed,  therefore,  an  affair  of  honor  on  the  part  of  the 
Ladies'  Society,  which  presented  the  work,  so  to  speak, 
to  the  Centennial  Celebration. 

I  communicated  the  letter  of  Mr.  Thomas  to  my  pub- 
lishers, B.  Schott  Sons,  who,  having  then  no  hesitation  on 
account  of  contract  rights,  which,  (according  to  that  let- 


114          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ter),  did  not  at  all  exist,  undertook  the  immediate  pub- 
lication of  my  work.  According  to  your  letter  received 
to-day  there  is  something  else  said  again.  By  this  it 
appears  that  there  is  an  American  publisher,  who  will 
undertake  to  publish  the  March  for  an  honorarium.  I 
heartily  grant  this  honorarium  to  Mr.  Thomas,  or  who- 
ever it  may  be,  and  I  immediately  telegraphed  to  Schott 
to  keep  back  their  transmissions  to  America,  but  they 
answered  me  that  the  Rubinstein  arrangement  had  already 
gone. 

I  regret  this  without  being  able  to  blame  myself,  and 
only  hope  that  Mr.  Thomas  will,  through  the  exclusive 
right,  which  the  enclosed  document  secures  to  him,  find 
in  the  course  of  time  a  remuneration  for  his  pains.  The 
score  will,  for  the  present,  not  be  sent  to  America. 

Very  truly  yours, 

RICHARD  WAGNER. 

IV 

BERLIN,  March,  1876. 
MR.  FEDERLEIN, 

Honored  Sir: 

I  have  not  Mr.  Thomas'  address  at  hand,  and  will  there- 
fore ask  you  to  send  him  the  following  information: 

The  Festival  March  was  sent  to  Paris  to-day,  accord- 
ing to  my  instructions,  to  be  forwarded  by  Banker  Feustal 
to  America.  I  could  have  finished  the  score  a  fortnight 
ago,  had  it  not  been  for  the  very  exhausting  concert  work 
in  Berlin  and  Vienna,  to  which  I  was  pledged  at  this  time, 
and  which  made  it  almost  impossible  to  finish  the  score. 
I  hope,  however,  that  it  will  arrive  in  time  for  them  to 
copy  the  parts,  and  make  the  necessary  corrections  of 
same,  for  I  am  sure  that  by  the  first  days  of  April,  the 
score  will  be  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Thomas — who,  how- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          115 

ever,  might  have  let  me  know  his  intentions  in  regard 
to  the  whole  matter  a  little  earlier. 

The  correct  tempo  is  indicated  by  a  little  mark  over  the 
triad, • — ^^pi :  The  always  ponderous  and  heavy  accentu- 
ation J  J  ^— ~  of  the  same  ^H^l  should,  on  the  other 
hand,  not  lead  to  a  certain  5=-  >•  =-  dragging  of  the 
tempo.  I  indicated  on  pages  23  and  24,  two  grand 
pauses,  the  impressiveness  of  which  could,  especially  in 
the  first  performance,  be  increased  by  the  discharge  of 
cannon,  as  well  as  muskets,  at  a  place  not  too  near  Festi- 
val Hall.  Perhaps  at  later  performances,  the  very  solemn 
effect  of  the  artillery  could  be  imitated  by  the  bass  drum 
and  so-called  rattles,  such  as  Beethoven  used  in  his  "  Bat- 
tle of  Vittoria."  This,  of  course,  should  also  sound  from 
a  distance,  and  might  be  placed  in  a  room  adjoining  the 
hall. 

I  presume  that  part  of  the  honorarium  was  contributed 
by  the  Directors  of  the  Exposition,  at  least  I  would  find 
this  quite  natural,  Mr.  Thomas  has,  moreover,  the  ex- 
clusive right  of  performance  for  the  United  States.  At 
any  rate,  I  would  like  to  have  a  definite  declaration  as  to 
when  the  score  can  be  issued  by  my  German  publishers 
here.  I  believe  that  the  publication  should  be  made  in 
Europe  at  the  same  time  as  in  America,  as  this  would  be 
in  keeping  with  the  usual  custom  in  regard  to  international 
copyright.  And  this  should  be  done  not  only  in  Germany 
and  America,  but  also  in  England. 

And  now  I  give  you  my  best  wishes.     The  March  is 
very  much  liked  by  my  friends,  and  I  firmly  believe,  at 
least  I  hope,  that  it  will  be  liked  as  well  in  America. 
With  best  greetings,  sincerely  yours, 

RICHARD  WAGNER. 


116          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


BERLIN,  March  25,  1876. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQR. 

Honored  Sir: 

I  am  delighted  to  receive,  at  last,  a  few  lines  from  you 
personally.  As  I  write,  I  suppose  the  score  has  already 
completed  the  first  half  of  its  voyage  to  you.  I  sincerely 
hope  that  it  will  reach  you  in  time,  and  I  have  already 
written  to  our  mutual  friend,  Federlein,  and  told  him  my 
wishes  in  regard  to  its  performance. 

In  regard  to  the  copyright  and  royalties  for  America, 
I  would  like  to  confess  that  I  am  not  in  full  sympathy 
any  more  with  the  arrangements  previously  made,  but  I 
promise  you  to  live  up  to  the  said  agreements.  Kindly 
let  me  know,  in  a  written  document,  whatever  formalities 
have  to  be  carried  out  concerning  the  copyright,  and  I 
will  sign  and  return  it  to  you  at  my  earliest  conveni- 
ence. 

I  cannot  thank  you  enough  for  the  great  trouble  you 
have  taken  in  completing  this  transaction.  I  hope  that 
the  success  of  the  work  will  bring  you  joy.  It  has  cost 
me  much  hardship  to  complete  the  score  in  time,  as  I  am 
almost  worn  out  by  the  excessive  demands  upon  me  of  a 
number  of  concerts  in  Berlin  and  Vienna. 

By  the  motto  that  I  have  placed  above  the  title,  you  will 
see  that  I  have  taken  this  matter  quite  seriously.  A  few 
soft  and  tender  passages  in  the  March  are  meant  to  depict 
the  beautiful  and  talented  women  of  North  America,  as 
they  take  part  in  the  cortege.  I  am  glad  to  say  that  it 
was  my  intention  to  have  these  noble-hearted  women  take 
the  first  place  in  the  procession,  rather  than  the  men, 
because  they  were  the  chief  promoters  and  most  energetic 
workers  for  my  composition.  Will  you  also  kindly  trans- 
late the  dedication  into  English: 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          117 

Dedicated 

To  the 
Women's   Centennial  Committees 

By 

Richard  Wagner 

With  best  wishes  and  greetings,  I  remain, 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

RICHARD  WAGNER. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  Wagner's  generosity 
in  granting  to  the  Women's  Committees  (through 
Thomas)  the  "  exclusive  American  rights  "  to  a 
composition  of  which  he  had  already  stocked  the 
New  York  music  stores  with  a  foreign  arrange- 
ment was  not  taken  advantage  of.  However,  it 
was  perhaps  fortunate  for  them  that  they  were 
thus  handicapped  in  the  matter  of  publishing  the 
work,  for  it  was  a  total  failure,  and  they  would 
probably  have  lost  whatever  they  spent  in  that 
way.  Even  Thomas,  the  first  and  most  persistent 
worker  for  the  Wagner  propaganda  in  America, 
rarely  performed  the  March,  and  I  have  never 
heard  of  its  being  played  in  Europe  at  all.  Wag- 
ner himself  is  said  to  have  remarked,  in  regard  to 
it,  "  The  best  thing  about  that  composition  was 
the  money  I  got  for  it,"  *  and  he  certainly  told  the 
truth  that  time. 

In  addition  to  the  Wagner  March,  Thomas 
arranged  that  two  American  composers,  John  K. 
Paine  and  Dudley  Buck  should  be  commissioned 
to  write  choral  works  for  the  opening  ceremonies 
of  the  Philadelphia  Exposition.  And,  in  order 

»  See  "  Wagner  and  His  Works,"  by  H.  T.  Finck.    Vol.  II,  p.  509. 


118          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

that  their  works  should  have  a  still  more  dis- 
tinctively national  character,  the  words  used  for 
them  were  by  the  American  poets  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier  and  Sidney  Lanier.  The  programme, 
as  is  customary  on  such  occasions,  consisted  of 
alternate  musical  numbers  and  speeches.  There 
were  four  of  the  former,  and  Thomas  gave  the 
place  of  honor,  in  the  middle,  to  the  American 
writers,  a  custom  he  always  observed  afterwards 
on  programmes  of  this  character.  The  musical 
part  of  the  programme,  in  full,  was  as  follows, 
and  it  is  a  good  example  of  the  Thomas  method 
of  planning  the  selections  for  celebrations  of  a 
national  character: 

PHILADELPHIA  CENTENNIAL  EXPOSITION 

Inaugural  Ceremonies 
May  10,  1876 

Grand  Centennial  Inaugural  March.  ., Wagner 

Centennial  Hymn  (Words  by  Whittier) ......  .J.  K.  Paine 

Centennial   Meditation    of   Columbia    (Words    by 

Sidney  Lanier) Dudley  Buck 

The  Hallelujah  Chorus Haendel 

The  day  after  the  Inaugural  Ceremonies, 
Thomas  began  the  Summer  Night  season  at  the 
Woman's  Centennial  Music  Hall  and  Garden, 
as  it  was  called.  Mrs.  Gillespie  and  her  Women's 
Committees  worked  hard  and  faithfully  to 
"  boom "  the  concerts,  but,  to  the  surprise  and 
disappointment  of  all  concerned,  their  efforts  were 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          119 

fruitless.  The  visiting  crowds  preferred  to  stay 
in  their  hotels  and  boarding  houses  and  rest  in 
the  evening,  rather  than  go  out  and  listen  to 
music — or  perhaps  they  did  not  realize  that  music 
was  going  on  then,  and  the  concerts  were  so 
poorly  attended  that,  after  struggling  for  a  short 
time  against  adversity,  they  had  tc  be  given  up. 
In  the  meantime  this  unexpected  calamity  had 
increased  the  indebtedness  of  Thomas  so  much 
that  now  the  waves  of  financial  ruin  closed  over 
his  head. 

The  only  valuable  possessions  he  had  were  his 
large  and  costly  library  and  musical  appurte- 
nances, on  which  he  had  spent  many  thousands  of 
dollars,  and  which  were  as  necessary  to  his  work 
as  machinery  is  to  a  manufacturer.  These  pre- 
cious possessions  were  now  seized  by  the  Sheriff 
at  Philadelphia  and  publicly  sold  at  auction,  and 
were  described  by  the  advertisement  as  '  The 
entire  musical  library  of  Theodore  Thomas,  con- 
sisting of  full  orchestral  scores,  operatic  and 
symphonic,  instrumental  and  vocal  compositions, 
as  set  forth  in  the  complete  catalogue  belonging 
thereto,  and  to  accompany  this  sale.  Also  one 
pair  of  kettledrums,  one  pair  of  cymbals,  one 
bass  drum,  triangle,  conductor's  stand  and  plat- 
form, writing  desk,  inkstand,  books,  etc.,  etc." 

It  is  a  melancholy  commentary  on  the  value- 
lessness  of  music  except  to  the  user,  that  this  large 
library,  which  had  cost  its  owner  many  thousands 
of  dollars  (and  included,  by  the  way,  the  $5,000 
Wagner  March,  which  the  ladies  had  given  him) , 


120          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

only  brought,  under  the  hammer,  the  paltry  sum 
of  $1,400.  Fortunately  for  Thomas  his  devoted 
friend,  Dr.  Franz  Zinzer,  of  New  York,  heard 
of  the  proposed  sale,  and,  hastening  to  Philadel- 
phia, bought  in  everything — music,  instruments, 
and  all — and  then  proposed  that  Thomas  should 
rent  it  from  him  at  the  nominal  sum  of  one 
hundred  dollars  a  year.  Meantime  it  was  all  left 
in  the  possession  of  Thomas,  and  two  years  later 
Mrs.  Thomas  received,  from  this  generous  friend, 
the  following  letter: 

NEW  YORK,  Oct.  1,  1878. 
Dear  Mrs.  Thomas: 

You  remember  that  I  am  the  owner  of  that  old  musical 
library,  which  I  bought  at  the  Sheriff's  sale  two  years  ago 
in  Philadelphia.  In  your  present  situation  in  Cincinnati 
you  might  be  able  to  render  your  husband  considerable 
service  if  you  were  the  owner  of  it,  and  I  therefore  beg 
you  to  allow  me  to  make  it  over  to  you,  as  the  enclosed 
paper  shows.  If  you  lend  him  one  of  the  works,  tell  him 
to  take  good  care  of  it. 

Very  truly  yours, 

F.  ZINZEE. 

The  helping  hand  thus  opportunely  held  out  to 
Thomas  by  Dr.  Zinzer  was  the  only  bright  spot 
in  that  dark  time.  As  for  the  rest,  his  orchestra 
was  disbanded,  and  himself  stranded,  a  financial 
wreck,  so  weighed  down  by  debt  that  all  hope  of 
clearing  it  away  had  vanished.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, his  advisers  urged  him  to  go  into 
bankruptcy,  as  the  only  course  open  to  him. 


121 

Many  years  later  he  told  the  story  of  this  bitter 
period,  in  the  following  letter: 

"...  When  I  began  my  longer  tours  in  the  sixties,  I 
had  no  other  purpose  than  the  wish  to  give  the  people  an 
opportunity  to  hear  good  music.  I  had  all  kinds  of  mis- 
fortunes, the  Chicago  fire  not  being  the  least  of  them,  and 
soon  I  became  so  involved  financially  that  I  had  to  keep 
on  traveling.  I  wanted  to  stop  several  times,  but  my 
best  friends  were  against  it,  and  yet  nobody  gave  me 
any  help.  Everyone  saw  how  the  cause  of  good  music 
prospered,  but  saw  also  how  I  was  being  sacrificed.  The 
help  of  a  single  person  was  not  enough,  and  a  combination 
was  always  impossible.  To  be  brief,  fires,  inundations, 
snow  storms — the  people  stayed  away  from  the  concerts 
or  I  could  not  reach  the  places.  In  short,  I  received  no 
money,  but  I  had  to  pay  salaries.  Finally,  in  Philadel- 
phia, in  '79,  I  got  into  the  hands  of  the  Sheriff,  and  for 
twelve  long  years  I  could  not  free  myself  of  him.  Of 
course  I  would  not  have  got  to  such  a  pass  as  that  had 
I  not  also  been  betrayed.  Once  I  decided  to  become  a 
bankrupt,  I  could  not  stand  the  strain  any  longer.  For  a 
moment  I  held  back  and  then  I  threw  down  the  pen  and 
refused  to  sign.  I  said  to  myself,  that  for  the  sake  of 
my  family  and  my  profession  I  would  not  make  a  bankrupt 
of  myself  voluntarily,  although  I  did  not  see  any  possi- 
bility of  ever  making  enough  money  to  buy  up  all  the 
claims  against  me.  However,  eventually  I  succeeded  and 
the  papers  of  satisfaction  are  all  safely  stored.  But 
twelve  years'  experience  with  sheriffs  and  scoundrels  have 
made  their  impression  on  the  nerves,  and  I  cannot  hear  the 
door  bell  to-day,  yet,  without  being  startled." 


CHAPTER  VII 

1876-1878 

FIRST  SEASON  OF  CHICAGO  SUMMER  NIGHT   CONCERTS THE 

EXPOSITION     BUILDING THE    THOMAS    SOUNDING    BOARD 

REQUEST         PROGRAMMES SOME        "  NATIONAL        PRO- 
GRAMMES " THOMAS  BECOMES  THE  CONDUCTOR  OF  THE 

NEW   YORK   PHILHARMONIC    SOCIETY,    1877 

THE  Philadelphia  disaster  prevented  Thomas 
from  giving  concerts  elsewhere  during  the  summer 
of  1876,  but  when  the  fall  came,  Mrs.  Gillespie 
again  interested  the  Women's  Committees  of  the 
Centennial  Exposition  to  promote  a  series  of  ten 
Festival  Concerts  under  his  direction,  to  be  given 
at  the  Academy  of  Music,  between  September 
20  and  November  4.  This  series  of  concerts  had 
the  important  result  for  Thomas  of  calling  his  dis- 
banded orchestra  together  again,  and  giving  him 
a  new  point  of  departure,  after  which  the  old  life 
of  incessant  travel  East,  West,  North,  and  South, 
was  resumed  once  more,  with  periodical  returns 
to  New  York  for  concerts  there  and  in  Brooklyn. 

The  winter  season  of  1876-77  was  only  an  un- 
eventful repetition  of  former  years,  but  when 
summer  came,  and  the  doors  of  the  Central  Park 
Garden  were  no  longer  open  to  him,  Thomas  de- 
cided to  try  his  luck  in  Chicago,  and  accepted  a 
long  engagement  there. 

122 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          123 

The  hall  in  which  the  Chicago  Summer  Night 
Concerts  were  given  during  this,  and  many  suc- 
ceeding years,  was  not  built  for  music,  but  was 
the  old  Exposition  Building  on  the  Lake  Front 
of  Michigan  Avenue,  opposite  Adams  Street, 
The  interior  was  an  immense  hall  extending  over 
more  than  two  blocks.  It  was  neither  finished 
nor  decorated  within,  and  yet  it  had  a  certain 
beauty  of  its  own,  for  the  walls  and  roof  were  sup- 
ported by  great  arched  steel  girders,  which  lent 
much  grace  of  outline,  and,  as  the  north  end  of 
the  hall  was  not  used  or  lighted,  these  supporting 
arches,  one  behind  the  other,  vanishing  into  the 
darkness,  gave  the  effect  of  limitless  space.  The 
end  where  the  concerts  were  given  was  made 
cheerful  by  lights  and  potted  plants,  and  many 
evergreen  trees  in  tubs  formed  a  little  grove  in  the 
rear,  where  groups  of  friends  sat  at  small  tables, 
where  the  men  could  smoke  or,  in  the  intermis- 
sions, enjoy  a  glass  of  beer.  There  were  no  fixed 
or  even  reserved  seats  in  any  part  of  the  building, 
and  people  sat  where  they  pleased,  or  moved  the 
chairs  into  little  groups  to  suit  themselves.  But 
there  were  two  prices  of  admission.  Twenty-five 
cents  admitted  you  to  the  rear  section  where  the 
tables  were,  but  fifty  cents  carried  you  past  a 
certain  little  iron  railing  and  enabled  you  to  sit 
amongst  the  gods  in  front. 

At  either  side  of  the  auditorium  were  broad 
arcades,  large  enough  for  many  thousands  of 
people  to  promenade  in  without  crowding,  and,  in 
order  to  allow  them  to  continue,  without  inter- 


124 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


ruption,  around  the  hall,  the  orchestra  stage  was 
built  some  distance  out  from  the  end  of  the  build- 
ing. In  such  an  enormous  place  the  small  orches- 
tra at  the  command  of  Thomas  would  have  been 
nearly  inaudible  had  he  not  used  the  device  of  an 


_:'_*«:»• — 4 fj 

I 


Chicago  Summer  Night  Concerts. — Diagram  of  Stage,  1883 

immense  sounding-board  of  peculiar  construction, 
to  reflect  the  tone.  It  took  him  much  experiment 
to  get  this  important  adjunct  of  these  concerts 
just  right  in  size,  shape,  thickness,  and  especially 
in  its  angle  of  inclination.  In  speaking  of  it 
afterwards,  he  said:  "The  acoustics  of  the  Ex- 
position Building  of  Chicago  were  very  satis- 
factory, in  spite  of  its  great  size  and  the  small- 
ness  of  the  orchestra  employed,  because  of  the 
sounding-board  of  thin  wood  which  I  used.  It 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


125 


has  been  copied  several  times  by  others,  but  never 
successfully  because  my  angle  Was  not  observed. 
"  It  should  be  noted,  also,  that  there  is  an  open- 
ing behind  the  orchestra  at  the  lower  edge  of  the 


idltf  of  Sound i(>g  -Sx>a.rtt'So'o 


"J    —  ^ 

•J 
1 

1 

Summer  Night  Concerts,  1883. — Diagram  of  Sounding  Board 

sounding-board.  .  .  .  The  sounding-board  is  only 
useful  in  the  open  air,  in  very  large  buildings,  or, 
when  an  orchestra  has  to  play  on  the  enclosed 
stage  of  a  theater,  its  purpose  being  to  throw  the 
tone  directly  toward  the  auditorium."  * 

Taken  for  all  in  all,  the  Chicago  Summer  Night 
Concerts  were  amongst  the  most  delightful 
Thomas  ever  gave.  Nowadays  the  same  audi- 
ence, which  was  even  then  genuinely  musical,  has 

*  See  article  on  Sounding  Boards,  "  Dictionary  of  Architecture," 
Russell  Sturgis,  ed. 


126          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

become  so  cultured  by  many  years  of  symphony 
concerts,  that  it  would  probably  care  but  little  for 
concerts  of  the  old  Summer  Night  caliber.  But  in 
those  days  orchestral  music  was  all  comparatively 
new  to  the  Western  metropolis,  and  the  people 
were  hungry  for  a  chance  to  become  familiar  with 
it,  and,  during  the  hot  July  evenings,  the  Exposi- 
tion .Building,  always  airy  and  cool,  was  a  de- 
lightful place  of  rendezvous  for  Chicago  society, 
which  had  not  as  yet  adopted  the  habit  of  travel- 
ing or  going  to  the  country  in  summer. 

Although  this  was  his  first  long  season  of 
concerts  in  Chicago,  Thomas  did  not  think  it 
necessary  to  start  with  such  light  programmes  as 
those  which  had  characterized  his  early  seasons  in 
New  York,  because  he  had  already  done  much 
desultory  work  there  since  1869,  and  previous  to 
that  time  a  local  Philharmonic  Orchestra,  under 
Hans  Belatka,  had  been  of  great  service  in  laying 
a  foundation  for  the  musical  future  of  the  city. 
Nor  must  we  forget,  in  enumerating  the  musical 
influences  that  helped  to  form  the  taste  of  Chicago, 
two  large  and  excellent  choral  societies, — the 
Beethoven  and  Apollo  Clubs — which,  under  their 
respective  directors,  Carl  Wolfsohn  and  W.  L. 
Tomlins,  gave  important  choral  performances 
every  year.  Chicago  had,  therefore,  already 
made  a  good  musical  start,  and  the  programmes 
of  the  first  Summer  Night  season  show  a  corre- 
spondingly good  artistic  standard,  although  they 
were  for  the  most  part  light.  Each  week  Com- 
posers' and  Symphony  programmes  were  given 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          127 

and,  towards  the  end  of  the  season,  National  pro- 
grammes were  also  added.  But,  from  time  to 
time,  Thomas  measured  the  real  musical  stand- 
ard of  his  Chicago  public  by  giving  "  Request 
Programmes."  The  idea  of  asking  the  people  to 
send  in  requests  for  the  numbers  of  a  given  pro- 
gramme originated  with  Mr.  Geo.  B.  Carpenter, 
the  Chicago  manager  of  the  Thomas  orchestra. 
Thomas  thought  the  suggestion  a  good  one,  and 
used  it  in  his  Chicago  concerts  for  many  subse- 
quent years,  as  a  means  of  gauging  the  musical 
progress  of  the  city. 

The  making  of  a  "  Request  Programme  "  was 
not  by  any  means  the  simple  thing  it  appeared, 
for,  in  the  preliminary  announcement  Thomas 
agreed  to  play  those  compositions  which  should 
receive  the  largest  number  of  requests — stipulat- 
ing only  that  the  requests  should  be  sent  in  by  a 
given  date,  and  that  they  should  be  selected  from 
the  programmes  previously  performed  that  sum- 
mer— and  the  result  was  that  often  the  numbers 
he  had  to  put  together  were  very  incongruous  and 
difficult  to  combine.  His  method  of  making  these 
programmes  was  as  follows.  The  letters  contain- 
ing the  requests  were  kept  unopened  until  the 
day  stated  by  the  announcement,  and  then  they 
were  all  opened  and  an  alphabetical  list  made  of 
the  compositions  asked  for.  This  was  no  light 
task,  for  there  were  often  from  six  hundred  to  a 
thousand  requests  for  a  single  programme,  and 
before  each  piece  the  number  of  times  it  was  asked 
for  had  to  be  carefully  noted.  When  the  list  was 


128          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ready,  Thomas  would  look  it  over,  and  first  draw 
his  pencil  through  all  the  pieces  which  could  not 
be  played  because  their  requesters  had  not  con- 
formed to  the  stipulation  that  they  must  be  se- 
lected from  the  repertoire  of  the  season.  From 
the  remainder  he  would  select  those  having  the 
largest  number  of  votes,  and  make  his  programme 
from  them.  He  never  put  on  a  number  which 
had  not  really  been  requested,  though  once  in  a 
while  it  would  happen  that  a  large  number  of 
requests  would  come  in  for  two  Liszt  Rhapsodies, 
or  two  symphonies.  In  such  a  case  he  would  have 
to  substitute,  for  the  one  having  the  smaller  num- 
ber of  votes,  the  next  in  favor  on  the  list.  I  have 
often  seen  him  spend  hours  arranging  and  re- 
arranging the  numbers  asked  for,  in  a  vain  en- 
deavor to  fit  them  together  into  harmonious  se- 
quence, and  finally  give  up,  with  a  patient  sigh, 
the  hopeless  task  of  making  an  artistic  programme 
from  such  miscellaneous  material. 

Thomas  disliked  "  Request  Programmes "  for 
this  reason;  but  he  was  too  conscientious  to  allow 
himself  to  suppress  any  of  the  pieces  which  had  a 
large  number  of  votes  in  favor  of  less  popular, 
but  more  suitable  selections.  Some  people  found 
this  out,  and  used  the  knowledge  to  get  the  pieces 
they  wanted,  by  asking  a  large  number  of  their 
acquaintances — sometimes  people  who  did  not 
even  attend  the  concerts — to  sign  petitions  asking 
for  certain  compositions.  I  well  remember  one 
"  Request  Programme  "  which  was  nearly  wrecked 
by  a  few  devotees  of  Brueckner's  music,  who 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          129 

collected  three  hundred  signatures  to  a  request 
for  a  very  long  and  unpopular  symphony  by 
that  composer.  Fortunately  the  Brueckner  ad- 
mirers asked  for  a  symphony  which  was  not  in 
the  repertoire  of  the  summer,  so  Thomas  was  able 
to  disregard  the  request  by  putting  an  explana- 
tory note  on  the  programme.  But  for  this  he 
would  have  been  obliged  to  play  it,  with  the  re- 
sult that  hundreds  of  dollars  would  have  been 
lost  to  the  box  office,  and  the  very  people  whom 
the  "  Request  Programmes  "  were  made  to  attract 
would  have  been  kept  away.  After  this  experi- 
ence, he  added  another  stipulation  to  the  pre- 
liminary announcements  of  the  "  Request  Pro- 
grammes," namely,  that  each  request  should  have 
but  one  signature,  and,  finally,  he  had  to  make  the 
rule  that  only  one  number  could  be  requested  at 
a  time.  This  last  condition  was  made  necessary 
by  thoughtless  people  who  would  send  in  long  lists 
of  the  compositions  they  wanted,  thus  complicating 
enormously  the  sorting  and  classifying  of  the 
requests.  There  was  one  man,  in  particular,  who 
had  the  habit  of  sending  in  several  whole  pro- 
grammes of  his  own  concocting,  at  once,  on 
which  every  number  of  all  three  parts  was  a 
movement  of  a  different  symphony,  and  which 
were  always  accompanied  by  a  letter  exhorting 
Thomas  to  "  peek  around  at  the  audience  "  as  he 
played  it,  and  see  how  much  more  the  people 
would  enjoy  this  sort  of  programme  than  what 
they  ordinarily  got.  Another  assured  him  that  no 
one  wanted  to  listen  to  symphonies  at  all,  and 


130 

asked  that  he  would  play  only  dance  music, 
while  the  people  of  the  different  nationalities — 
French,  Russian,  Bohemian,  etc. — each  clamored 
for  the  music  of  their  own  country,  and  those  who 
had  attended  the  last  "  Request  Programme,"  were 
a  solid  phalanx  in  their  desire  to  hear  all  of  its 
numbers  right  over  again.  In  short,  there  were 
many  snags  to  be  avoided  in  giving  this  popular 
variety  of  programme.  The  following  is  the  first 
one  which  Thomas  gave,  and  it  illustrates  very 
well  the  musical  standard  of  Chicago  at  that  time. 
We  shall  see  how  rapidly  this  city  advanced  in 
the  knowledge  and  love  of  good  music,  until,  a 
few  years  later,  it  stood  second  to  none  in 
America,  or  perhaps  even  in  the  world,  in  sus- 
taining music  of  the  highest  standard: 

CHICAGO,  JULY  16,  1877 
First  Request  Programme 

Overture,  "  Tannhaeuser  " , Wagner 

Allegretto,  Eighth  Symphony Beethoven 

Largo Haendel 

Rhapsodie  Hongroise,  No.  2 Liszt 

Intermission 

Overture,  "  William  Tell  " Rossini 

Traumerei Schumann 

Fantaisie    Caprice Vieuxtemps 

Carnival  of  Venice,  (Burlesque) 

Intermission 

Funeral  March  of  a  Marionette .  .< Gounod 

Waltz,  "  Wiener  Bonbons  "..... Strauss 

Amaryllis Gyhs 

Overture,  "  Zampa  M Herold 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          131 

Reading  between  the  lines  of  this  programme 
Thomas  was  encouraged,  in  spite  of  its  very  light 
quality,  because  there  was  nothing  on  it  which 
was  not  intrinsically  good,  and  on  the  night  fol- 
lowing he  did  not  hesitate  to  offer  to  his  "  baby 
public," — as  someone  has  called  it — as  fine  a  Mo- 
zart programme  as  a  Summer  Night  Concert 
would  permit  him  to  perform.  It  was  a  prin- 
ciple with  him  to  advance  his  standard  as  fast  as 
the  public  could  follow,  for  he  believed  that  the 
only  way  to  hold  the  popular  interest  in  music, 
after  it  had  been  once  aroused,  was  to  lead  it 
along  the  lines  of  intellectual  and  artistic  progress. 

The  first  Chicago  season  of  summer  concerts 
was  not  very  successful  financially,  owing  to  the 
great  railroad  strike  and  riots  in  August  of  that 
year,  and  as  it  drew  to  a  close,  Thomas  received 
the  following  letter  from  a  number  of  well- 
known  Chicago  men: 

CHICAGO,  July  27,  1877. 
MR.  THEODORE  THOMAS, 

Dear  Sir: 

We  believe  it  to  be  the  universal  sentiment  of  our  citi- 
zens that  in  the  way  of  pleasure  and  musical  instruction 
there  has  been  nothing  in  Chicago  comparable  to  your 
summer  garden  concerts.  We  regret  that  unlocked  for 
business  occurrences  have,  in  some  degree,  broken  the  at- 
tendance. 

While  your  efforts  in  every  way  deserved  success,  we  had 
hoped  that  the  result  of  this  season  would  justify  your 
return  next  summer.  In  this  expectation  we  trust  we  may 
not  be  disappointed. 


132          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Permit  us  to  request  you  to  name  an  evening  for  a 
concert  when  our  citizens  may,  by  their  presence,  confer 
a  compliment  personal  to  yourself. 

Very  respectfully, 

WIET  DEXTER,  J.  M.  WALKER, 

HENRY  W.   KING,  C.   E.   DUNCAN, 

MARSHALL  FIELD,  E.  B.  McCAGG, 
ROBERT  TODD  LINCOLN,       JOHN  G.  SHORTALL, 

A.  A.  HUNGER,  H.  W.  BISHOP, 

EDWARD  S.  ISHAM,  N.  K.  FAIRBANK, 

J.  D.  HARVEY,  CHARLES  D.  HAMILL, 
J.  S.  HAMILTON,  AND  OTHERS. 

Thomas  always  disliked  anything  in  the  way 
of  so-called  "benefit"  concerts;  he  was,  never- 
theless, sincerely  grateful  to  the  men  who  thus 
sought  to  assist  his  work  in  the  only  way  then 
open  to  them,  and  accepted  their  courteously  ten- 
dered offer  in  the  following  letter: 

CHICAGO,  July  28,  1877. 
MESSRS.  WIRT  DEXTER,  EDWARD  ISHAM,  AND  OTHERS. 

Gentlemen: 

In  accepting  the  compliment  extended  to  me  in  your 
letter  of  the  27th,  permit  me  to  say  that  the  cordial 
welcome  I  have  met  with  in  public  and  private  during 
my  stay  this  summer  has  greatly  attached  me  to  your 
city. 

When,  eleven  years  ago,  I  inaugurated  nightly  sum- 
mer concerts  in  New  York,  I  did  it  with  a  view  of  elevat- 
ing my  profession  and  the  public  taste  for  music.  In  a 
few  years  these  concerts  have  become  a  recognized  insti- 
tution of  the  country.  However,  as  my  repertoire  ex- 
tended, my  orchestra  had  to  be  increased  to  meet  the 
enlarged  demands  of  modern  composers.  In  order  to  sus- 
tain so  large  an  organization  I  was  obliged  to  travel 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          133 

a  large  portion  of  the  year,  and  it  was  this  necessity 
which  first  introduced  me  to  the  West.  New  York, 
Boston,  and  Philadelphia  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  all  this 
labor  in  the  shape  of  Symphony  Concerts  which  could  never 
have  reached  the  high  standard  attained,  had  not  the 
whole  country  contributed  to  the  support  of  the  or- 
ganization. 

After  eleven  consecutive  years  of  summer  concerts  I 
have  been  obliged  to  leave  New  York  for  lack  of  a 
suitable  hall  in  which  to  give  them.  What  New  York 
offered  I  refused,  and  what  I  wanted  I  could  not  have. 
That  metropolis  not  having  supplied  my  needs,  I  was 
induced  to  try  the  West,  and  I  gladly  confess  I  do  not 
regret  the  experiment.  I  find  the  people  here  open- 
hearted,  generous,  and  enthusiastic,  and  in  thanking 
them,  through  you,  for  their  kind  appreciation  of  the 
labor  my  colleagues  and  myself  have  done  here  during 
the  last  few  months,  let  me  say  it  would  give  me  pleasure, 
circumstances  permitting,  to  return  here  next  summer. 

The  support  we  have  received  justifies  me  in  saying 
that  Chicago  is  the  only  city  on  the  continent,  except 
New  York,  where  there  is  sufficient  musical  culture  to 
enable  me  to  give  a  series  of  fifty  successive  concerts. 

Thanking  you  again  for  your  kindness,  I  will,  with 
your  permission,  name  August  1st,  as  the  evening  most 
convenient  for  the  complimentary  concert,  and  will  com- 
bine it  with  a  request  programme. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

The  proposed  concert  took  place  as  planned, 
and  a  few  days  later  the  first  Chicago  Summer 
Night  Concert  season  "  belonged  to  history." 
The  season  had  brought  forth  a  number  of  inter- 


134          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

esting  developments,  as  we  have  seen,  but  none 
of  its  programmes  were  more  worthy  of  preserva- 
tion than  the  little  series  of  three  "  National " 
programmes,  which  follow,  and  which  are  good 
examples  of  Thomas'  work  of  this  kind: 

CHICAGO  SUMMER  NIGHT  CONCERTS 

JULY  3,  1877 
Scandinavian   Programme 
J.  Svendsen  (1840) 

Coronation  March 

Symphonic  Introduction  to  "  Sigurd." 
Asgar  Hamerik  (1843). 

Love  Scene,  "  Evening  in  the  Woods," 
First  Norse  Suite 
Niels  W.  Gade  (1817) 

Symphony  No.  1,  in  C  minor 

Intermission 
C.  F.  E.  Horneman 

Overture,  "  Aladdin  " 
A.  Soedermann 

Wedding  March  from  "  The  Wedding  of  Nefasa  " 
H.  C.  Lumby      • 

"  Visions  in  a  Dream,"   a  Fantasia 
Champagne  Galop 

JULY  20,  1877 

t 

French  Programme 

Etienne  Henri  Mehul  (1763-1817) 

Overture,  "  Horatius  Codes  " 
Jean  Philippe  Rameau  (1683-1764) 

(a)  Rigodon  de  Dardanus.     (Transcribed  for  or- 
chestra by  F.  A.  Gevart) 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          135 

(b)  Air  de  Danse  du  XVIeme  Siecle.     (Arranged 

for  orchestra  by  Wakerlin) 
Daniel  Francis  Auber  (1784-1871) 

Transcription,  "  Masaniella  " 

Intermission 
Hector  Berlioz  (1803-1869) 

(a)  Overture,  "  Franc  Judges  " 

(b)  Scherzo,  "  La  Reine  Mab,"  from  Symphony 
"  Romeo  et  Juliet  " 

Charles  Fran9ois  Gounod  (1818) 

(a)  Entr'acte,  "  Colombe  " 

(b)  Danse  des  Bacchantes,  "  Philemon  et  Baucis  " 

(c)  Marche  et  Cortege,  "  Reine  de  Saba  " 
French  National  Hymn,  "La  Marseillaise"  (1792) 

Intermission 
Camille  Saint  Saens  (1835) 

Poeme  Symphonique,  "  Danse  Macabre  " 
Jules  Massenet    (1842) 

(a)  Variations,  op.   13 

(b)  Carnaval 


JULY  27,  1877 
Italian   Programme 

Cherubim    (1760-1842). 

(a)  Overture,  "  Abenceragen  " 

(b)  Introduction  to  Act  III,  "Medea" 
Boccherini  (1740-1805) 

(a)  Sicilian,  String  Orchestra 

(b)  Minuet,  String  Orchestra 
Spontini    (1778-1851) 

Overture,  "  Vestalin  " 


136          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Rossini  (1792-1869) 

(a)  Cavatina,   "Othello" 

Miss  Busk 
Intermission 

(b)  Overture,  "William  Tell" 

(c)  Aria,   "William   Tell" 

Mr.  A.  H.  Bishoff 
Verdi    (1815) 

(a)  Andantino 

(b)  Scherzo  Fuga  (String  orchestra) 
Bellini    (1802-1835) 

Rondo 

Miss   Busk 
Intermission 
Donizetti  (1797-1848) 

Selections,  "  Lucia  " 
Mercadante    (1798-1870) 
Aria,  "  II  Bravo  " 

Mr.  H.  A.  Bishoff 
Bazzini    (1818) 

Gavotte    (String  orchestra) 
Verdi 

Overture,  "  Nabucco  " 

After  leaving  Chicago  Thomas  took  the  orches- 
tra to  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati  for  short  sup- 
plementary engagements,  and  then  returned  to 
New  York,  where  a  new  and  important  field  of 
labor  now  awaited  him. 

Thomas  had  been  the  conductor  of  the  Brooklyn 
Philharmonic  Society  continuously  since  the  fall 
of  1866.  The  New  York  Philharmonic  had  also 
approached  him  with  offers  of  the  leadership  of 
their  orchestra  for  several  years,  but  he  had  not 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          137 

been  able  to  accept  the  latter  because  of  the  con- 
ditions attached.  Until  the  formation  of  the 
Thomas  Orchestra,  the  Philharmonic  Society  had 
been  the  standard  orchestra  of  America.  Founded 
in  the  year  1842,  by  an  American  violinist  named 
U.  C.  Hill,  and  avowedly  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  the  best  music,  this  society  had  already  an 
established  reputation  when  Thomas,  then  a 
youth  of  sixteen,  became  one  of  its  violinists.  It  is 
true  that  the  standard  of  its  performances  was  very 
inferior,  like  that  of  all  those  early  orchestras,  and 
its  programmes  presented  a  singular  hodge-podge 
of  compositions  in  which  symphonies  and  all  kinds 
of  incongruous  material  were  thrown  together  ap- 
parently at  random.  For  a  long  time  it  had  no 
responsible  musical  director,  but  sometimes  one, 
sometimes  another  conductor,  directed  a  concert. 
Its  early  programmes  often  show  two  or  three 
conductors  to  have  divided  the  honors  of  a  single 
concert  between  them.  Nor  were  its  rehearsals 
any  more  systematic  than  its  conducting.  Any 
man  could  absent  himself  as  often  as  he  liked 
from  rehearsals,  and  the  consequence  was  that  the 
orchestra  was  never  complete  in  rehearsals,  and 
no  very  high  standard  of  performance  was  pos- 
sible. But  in  spite  of  these  drawbacks,  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  nevertheless,  stood  for  art;  its 
aim  was  the  highest,  and  under  the  conductorship 
of  Carl  Bergmann,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  was  a 
musician  of  real  talent,  it  became  the  chief  orches- 
tral organization  of  New  York. 

After  the  formation  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra, 


138          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  Philharmonic  suffered  much  from  the  com- 
petition of  its  young  and  far  more  perfect  rival, 
and  at  last  it  became  evident  that  the  pioneer 
society  would  be  permanently  disabled  unless  it 
could  make  a  combination  with  the  new  con- 
ductor, and  turn  his  growing  prestige  towards, 
instead  of  away  from  Philharmonic  interests. 
The  leadership  of  the  society  was,  therefore,  of- 
fered to  Thomas  for  two  successive  years,  but 
coupled  with  the  condition  that  he  should  give 
up  his  own  Symphony  Concerts  in  New  York. 
Thomas,  however,  was  not  willing  to  do  this,  for 
not  only  was  symphonic  work  his  specialty,  but, 
in  fact,  the  whole  object  for  which  he  had 
formed  his  orchestra.  Furthermore,  the  six  Phil- 
harmonic concerts  could  not  fill  the  place  of  his 
many  Symphony  Concerts  during  the  winter,  even 
in  New  York,  nor  could  he  substitute  for  his  own 
orchestra,  always  under  his  own  absolute  control, 
a  co-operative  organization  in  which  every  detail 
of  the  work  must  be  submitted  to,  and  passed  upon, 
by  a  Board  of  Directors.  Hence  the  negotiations 
with  the  Philharmonic  Society  had  hitherto  always 
come  to  naught. 

The  spring  of  1877,  however,  found  the  veteran 
society  at  the  lowest  ebb  of  its  fortunes.  Its 
yearly  dividend  had  sunk  to  only  eighteen  dollars 
a  share,  and  its  standard  of  performance  was  very 
inferior  owing  to  lack  of  discipline  and  training. 
In  this  emergency  the  conductorship  was  finally 
offered  to  Thomas  without  any  conditions,  and 
consequently  accepted. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           139 

His  acceptance  of  the  position  removed  a 
dangerous  rival  from  the  Philharmonic  Society, 
but  it  had  the  singular  result  for  Thomas  of 
creating  an  equally  dangerous  and  far  more  pow- 
erful one  for  himself.  Hereafter  he  was  his  own 
most  successful  rival  in  New  York,  but  he  cared 
not  a  whit  for  that,  but  deliberately  made  the 
Philharmonic  series  his  most  important  concerts, 
and  gave  the  second  place  to  his  own  as  long  as 
he  lived  in  that  city. 

The  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Philharmonic 
Concerts  were  given  once  a  month,  and  the 
Thomas  Symphony  Concerts  came  still  oftener. 
It  was,  therefore,  necessary  for  Thomas  to  be  in 
New  York  the  greater  part  of  the  time  during 
the  winter  of  1877-78.  But  all  these  engagements, 
many  though  they  were,  did  not  suffice  to  support 
his  orchestra  without  traveling,  and  yet  the  short 
intervals  between  the  home  engagements  did  not 
allow  time  enough  for  concert  tours.  Thus  the 
same  old  problem  was  still  ever  before  him,  and  he 
saw  no  way  whereby  he  could  keep  together  what 
he  had  built  up  during  so  many  years  of  sacrifice 
and  hard  labor. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

1878-1879 

THIRD  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL OPENING  OF  THE  CINCINNATI 

MUSIC  HALL SUMMER  CONCERTS  AT   GILMORE*S   GARDEN 

THOMAS  IS  APPOINTED  THE  MUSICAL  DIRECTOR  OF  THE 

CINCINNATI    COLLEGE    OF    MUSIC PLANS    FOR    A    GREAT 

ART  INSTITUTION  TO  INCLUDE  A  UNIVERSITY  OF  MUSIC, 
A  SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA,  AND  A  CHORUS THE  IN- 
AUGURATION OF  THE  CINCINNATI  COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC 

THOMAS    MOVES   TO    CINCINNATI   IN    THE   FALL   OF    1878 

THE  Cincinnati  Festival  of  1878  was  an  espe- 
cially memorable  occasion  because  it  marked  the 
year  when  these  festivals  ceased  to  be  mere  spo- 
radic sets  of  concerts,  and  became  an  organized  art 
institution, — the  greatest  of  its  kind  in  America. 

Amongst  the  wealthy  men  who  had  become  in- 
terested in  the  work  of  the  festival  of  1872  was  Mr. 
Reuben  R.  Springer,  and  it  was  due  to  his  munifi- 
cence that,  during  the  three  years  which  elapsed 
between  the  second  and  third  festivals,  a  centrally- 
located  lot  of  land  was  secured,  and  a  very  large 
and  thoroughly  equipped  building  erected  on  it 
for  festival  purposes.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  other 
hall  in  America  so  admirably  adapted  for  musical 
festivals  as  this,  not  only  because  of  its  large 
auditorium,  its  ample  foyers  and  many  other  com- 
forts and  conveniences  for  the  public,  but  be- 
cause of  its  equally  roomy  accommodations  be- 

140 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          141 

hind  the  stage,  where  any  number  of  musicians, 
and  any  quantity  of  musical  paraphernalia  can 
be  provided  for,  without  crowding.  The  posses- 
sion of  this  building  meant  perpetuity  for  the 
Cincinnati  Musical  Festival  Association,  and,  as 
far  as  I  know,  there  has  never  been  a  Cincinnati 
Festival  which  ended  with  a  financial  deficit — a 
halcyon  state  of  affairs  which  could  not  have  been 
achieved  had  the  Association  been  dependent  on 
an  ordinary  hall. 

This  important  building  was  dedicated  on  the 
opening  night  of  the  festival  of  1878,  with  the 
following  programme: 

CINCINNATI  MAY  FESTIVAL 

Tuesday  Evening,  May  14,  1878 

Music  Hall  Dedication  Ceremonies 

Programme 

Scenes  from  "  Alceste  " , Gluck 

Ceremonies  Dedicating  the  Music   Hall 

Festival  Ode.  .1. Otto  Singer 

Symphony  No.  3,  "  Eroica,"  op.  55 Beethoven 

On  this  occasion  the  place  of  honor  on  the 
programme  was  given  to  the  composition  of  an 
American  musician,  Otto  Singer,  who  was  at  that 
time  the  Cincinnati  Chorus  Director,  and  had 
been  commissioned  to  compose  a  work  for  chorus 
and  orchestra  suitable  to  the  event.  It  is  need- 
less to  say  that  a  festival  around  which  so  many 
interests  gathered  was  successful  beyond  any  of 
its  predecessors.  Artistically  its  standard  was 
higher,  and  one  of  its  programmes  was  made 


142          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

memorable  by  the  first  performance  Thomas  gave 
of  Berlioz'  "  Romeo  and  Juliet "  Symphony 
entire.  He  had  often  given  movements  from  this 
difficult  work,  but  had  never  before  given  it 
complete.  A  few  months  later  he  was  asked  to 
give  his  opinion  on  Berlioz  as  a  composer,  and  his 
answer  was  as  follows: 

CINCINNATI,  Dec.  22,  1878. 
Dear  Madame: 

You  ask  for  my  opinion  in  regard  to  the  standing  of 
Berlioz  as  a  composer,  and  the  increasing  interest  shown 
in  his  works.  I  will  give  it  to  you — take  it  for  what  it  is 
worth. 

Berlioz  had  not  enough  creative  power,  and  was  not 
productive  enough  to  be  called  a  genius.  But  he 
was  very  highly  gifted  and  deserves  admiration  and 
recognition  for  his  ability  and  truthful  aim.  Like  Liszt, 
he  is  a  branch  of  the  tree  of  which  Bach  and  Beethoven 
form  the  trunk.  His  works  are  over-rated  by  some  as 
well  as  under-rated  by  others,  through  ignorance.  His 
scores  are  sealed  books  to  all  but  a  few,  and  the  musi- 
cians who  can  hear  his  complicated  scores  in  their  minds, 
with  the  aid  of  eyes  alone,  are  not  many.  To  produce 
his  works  satisfactorily  requires  a  band  of  virtuosi,  and 
a  conductor  who  is  also  a  virtuoso  on  that  greatest  and 
most  wonderful  of  all  modern  instruments,  the  orchestra. 
The  first  it  is  possible  to  procure  with  money,  the  second 
is  nearly  as  rare  an  appearance  as  was  Berlioz  himself. 

The  greatest  masters  made  their  deepest  impressions 
with  simple  means,  and  even  inferior  orchestral  material ; 
but  Berlioz  needs  and  demands  masses  and  virtuosi  in 
order  to  be  effective.  If  I  am  right  in  this  you  will 
understand  why  Berlioz  can  never  be  a  popular  composer. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          143 

"  Romeo  and  Juliet  "  is  not  a  symphony  in  the  sense 
of  the  masters,  nor  is  it  a  development  of  the  form  we 
received  from  Haydn  and  Mozart,  as  is  the  case  with 
Beethoven,  from  his  third  to  his  ninth  symphony.  A 
better  designation  for  the  "  symphonies  "  of  Berlioz 
would  be  "  Music  for  the  concert  hall,  written  to  scenes 
from  '  Romeo  and  Juliet,' '  Childe  Harold,'  etc."  His  Can- 
tata of  "  Faust  "  is  likewise  nothing  but  scenes  or  pic- 
tures, strung  together,  and  is  inferior  to  the  two  first 
named  works. 

With  Berlioz  it  was  a  matter  of  ambition  to  write 
music.  He  wrote  with  effort  and  required  a  subject  for 
inspiration.  To  the  great  masters,  Haydn,  Mozart, 
Beethoven,  and  the  rest,  it  was  a  necessity  to  compose, 
and  they  needed  no  outward  influence.  Music  was  simply 
a  language  to  them  in  which  they  could  express  that  which 
they  could  not  say  in  any  other  way.  They  were  born 
musicians.  Berlioz  will  occasionally  receive  a  revival,  or- 
chestra permitting,  for  the  sake  of  novelty  and  variety  in 
our  concert  programmes,  but  a  few  repetitions  of  a  work 
do  not  signify  "  popularity." 

Very  truly  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

After  the  close  of  the  festival,  Thomas  re- 
turned to  New  York,  and  again  gave  a  long 
season  of  Summer  Night  Concerts,  this  time  in 
Gilmore's  Garden.  The  programmes  of  this  sea- 
son do  not  compare  in  artistic  worth  to  those  of 
the  last  Central  Park  Garden  season  of  two  years 
previous.  The  old  summer  night  audience  had 
apparently  evaporated,  and  a  new  and  less  culti- 
vated one  had  taken  its  place.  It  must  have  been 
terribly  tedious  to  Thomas  to  come  back  from 


144          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  triumph  and  exaltation  of  a  series  of  great 
festival  performances,  and  go  to  work  grind- 
ing out  "  popular  programmes "  every  night 
for  the  masses,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  often 
alluded  contemptuously  to  this  class  of  per- 
formances, as  "  shop  concerts."  Nevertheless  he 
did  not  allow  himself  to  slight  the  performance 
of  even  the  musical  trifles  of  which  they  were  so 
largely  composed,  but  gave  infinite  care  to  the 
preparation  of  every  number  that  he  played,  and 
would  not  permit  the  least  slovenliness  in  their 
execution.  He  wras  especially  particular  in  regard 
to  the  Strauss  waltzes,  which  he  gave  with  in- 
imitable grace  and  a  wonderful  swaying  rhythm. 
Someone  once  asked  him  how  he  managed  to 
impart  such  vitality  and  lightness  to  these  dances, 
and  he  replied :  "  Have  you  never  noticed  that  I 
always  beat  the  first  stroke  of  the  rhythm  up  in- 
stead of  down?  You  cannot  put  the  life  and 
continuous  motion  of  the  dance  into  a  piece  of 
music,  if  you  knock  the  poor  tune  down  at  the 
beginning  of  every  measure." 

And  now  a  great  and  unexpected  change  came 
into  the  life  of  Thomas.  The  president  of  the 
Cincinnati  Festival  Association  was  Colonel 
George  Ward  Nichols,  and  toward  the  end  of 
July  Thomas  received  the  following  letters  from 
him,  which  explain  themselves: 

CINCINNATI,  July  22, 1878. 
Dear  Mr.  Thomas : 

For  a  long  time  I  have  thought  over  a  scheme  for  the 
establishment  of  a  College  of  Music  in  this  city  with  you 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          145 

as  its  Musical  Director.  If  an  arrangement  at  not  too 
great  cost  can  be  made  with  you,  I  believe  we  can  have  a 
school  of  music  which  will  not  be  inferior  to  those  so 
celebrated  in  Europe.  We  have  Otto  Singer  and  can  have 
Whiting  and  other  professors  who  will  give  it  distinction. 

My  plan  would  be  to  lay  out  a  practical  and  not  too 
costly  scheme,  and  at  once  obtain  a  sound  financial  back- 
ing and  go  ahead.  I  would  begin  next  fall  as  early  as 
practicable.  I  think  we  could  have  the  Music  Hall  with 
eight  or  ten  rooms. 

Are  you  not  tired  of  carrying  the  weight  of  that  or- 
chestra? Will  you  not  accept  the  opportunity  of  firmly 
fixing  yourself  for  life  in  a  position  which  you  can  if  you 
choose  make  distinguished  and  successful? 

I  wish  you  to  give  this  subject  serious  thought  and  an- 
swer me  as  soon  as  you  can. 

Yours  truly, 

GEORGE  WARD  NICHOLS. 

CINCINNATI,  July  29,  1878. 
Dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

I  wrote  you  last  week  asking  you  to  take  the  Director- 
ship of  a  musical  college  which  I  propose  to  establish  in 
this  city,  yet  I  write  again  because  I  have  within  a  few 
days  thought  and  done  a  great  deal  about  the  matter.  It 
is  impossible  in  a  letter  to  say  what  I  hope  and  believe 
may  be  done  here.  Of  course  we  can  build  up  a  school 
as  complete  and  efficient  as  any  in  Europe.  We  are  geo- 
graphically well  placed.  Living  is  very  cheap  here.  We 
shall  have  the  Music  Hall  building  for  the  college.  All 
we  require  is  a  staff  of  first  rate  professors,  a  director 
like  yourself,  and  a  good  business  management.  I  hope 
you  can  widen  the  school  so  as  to  make  it  a  school  for 
orchestra  as  well  as  for  other  branches  of  musical  in- 


146          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

struction.  With  the  number  of  good  musicians  here  you 
would  have  an  orchestra  you  would  not  be  ashamed  of. 
Just  how  much  of  your  Eastern  life  and  work  you  could 
keep  is  a  matter  for  consideration.  You  are  strongly 
wedded  to  New  York  and  your  reputation  is  more  or  less 
identified  with  it,  but  you  may  be  sure  that  in  Cincinnati 
we  shall  contend  for  musical  supremacy.  We  will  make 
this  the  musical  center  of  the  United  States,  you  can 
wield  as  strong  an  influence  here.  ...  I  want  you  to  come 
here  and  work  with  me  to  organize  a  complete  and  brilliant 
musical  university.  If  you  can't  come  I  will  go  to  Germany 
for  Raff,  Joachim,  or  some  other  big  fish  whose  name  and 
experience  will  give  us  the  prestige  which  assists  success. 
But  I  know  you  can  and  ought  to  come.  Your  life  as  a 
conductor  of  daily  concerts  is  at  best  a  precarious  one.  .  .  . 
This  sort  of  life  is  killing  you.  You  ought  not  to  be 
subject  any  longer  to  that  daily  grind.  You  ought  to 
place  yourself  in  a  permanent  position  where  you  can  have 
a  fixed  salary  and  an  honorable  station.  ...  I  have  talked 
this  thing  over  with  Shillito,  Longworth,  and  other  strong 
men,  and  they  will  back  me  up  financially. 

Yours  truly, 

GEORGE  WARD  NICHOLS. 

CINCINNATI,  Aug.  2,  1878. 
Dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

Your  letter  of  the  29th  came  to-day.  It  is  very  near 
what  I  expected  you  would  say.  I  feel  the  force  of  your 
objections  to  leaving  New  York  from  the  artistic  point 
of  view  .  .  .  but  you  would  be  a  more  influential  and  use- 
ful man  at  the  head  of  a  great  college  of  music  than  simply 
as  a  leader  of  an  orchestra  in  New  York.  And  if  this 
scheme  becomes  what  I  hope,  you  can  have  a  great  or- 
chestra and  take  it  where  you  please,  provided  you  are 
not  gone  too  long.  In  saying  this  I  leave  out  the  operatic 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          147 

part  of  your  hopes  and  desires,  and  also  that  part  which 
includes  a  career  in  Europe.  In  my  judgment  both  of 
these  involve  too  much  time  and  risk  to  be  practicable. 
In  asking  you  to  come  to  Cincinnati  I  am  not  acting  upon 
a  hasty  impulse,  but  upon  a  long  thought  of  and  well 
matured  scheme.  If  the  scope  of  this  scheme  was  not 
large,  important,  imposing,  I  would  not  undertake  it.  The 
conservatories  of  Europe*  have  men  of  eminence  at  their 
head.  We  could  make  this  the  best  and  most  celebrated 
in  the  world.  .  .  .  All  this  I  am  saying  from  the  artistic 
point  of  view,  now  for  the  practical.  You  would  not  be 
expected  to  play  in  quartette  or  give  singing  lessons.  You 
would  be  the  Director  of  a  College  of  Music  with  a  faculty 
of  six  or  ten  persons,  with  assistants  and  teachers  cele- 
brated in  their  several  specialties.  You  would  have  a 
fixed  income  of  say  from  $8,000  to  $10,000  a  year  guaran- 
teed to  you  for  five  or  more  years.  .  .  . 

Now  there  are  several  questions  which  remain  in  doubt. 
Probably  for  the  above  amount  we  should  expect  you  to 
lead  the  orchestra.  If  it  became  an  orchestra  such  as 
you  could  travel  with,  how  much  time  would  be  allowed 
you  outside  of  Cincinnati?  Would  it  be  well  for  you  to 
calculate  on  holding  on  to  any  of  your  New  York  interests  ? 
If  you  did  what  difference  would  it  make  in  your  salary? 

Write  me  in  reply  at  once  as  I  shall  go  East  in  about 
two  weeks  and  I  wish  to  complete  the  financial  basis  before 
I  go  away. 

Yours  truly, 

GEORGE  WARD  NICHOLS. 

These  informal  letters  of  Colonel  Nichols  were 
followed  a  few  days  later  by  an  official  invitation 
of  the  same  nature,  signed  by  twenty-two  eminent 
Cincinnati  men.  It  read  as  follows: 


148          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

CINCINNATI,  August  16,  1878. 
ME.  THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Dear  Sir: 

The  undersigned  citizens  of  Cincinnati,  on  the  part  of 
the  College  of  Music,  cordially  invite  you,  at  the  earliest 
possible  date,  to  make  your  residence  in  this  city  and 
accept  the  Musical  Directorship  of  the  College.  It  is  pro- 
posed to  establish  an  institution  for  musical  education 
upon  the  scale  of  the  most  important  of  those  of  a  similar 
character  in  Europe:  to  employ  the  highest  class  of  pro- 
fessors, to  organize  a  full  orchestra  with  a  school  for  or- 
chestra and  chorus,  and  to  give  concerts. 

This  city  has  superior  advantages  for  the  success  of  this 
project.  We  have  the  new  Music  Hall  where  the  College 
will  be  held,  and  the  great  organ  offers  special  attrac- 
tions. Our  community  is  cultivated  in  music,  living  is 
cheap  and  comfortable  here. 

In  this  invitation  we  recognize  your  special  fitness  for 
a  trust  so  important,  and  believe  that  if  you  accept  you 
will  be  taking  another  step  forward  in  the  noble  work  of 
musical  education  to  which  your  life  has  been  so  success- 
fully devoted. 

Signed : 

REUBEN  R.  SPRINGER,  GORDON  SHILLITO, 

G.    K.    SCHOENBERGER,  R.   F.  L.EAMAN, 

W.  H.  ANDREWS,  J.  B.  RESOR, 

JOSEPH  LONGWORTH,  A.  HOWARD  HINKLE, 

ROBERT  MITCHELL,  JULIUS  DEXTER, 

RUFUS  KING,  M.  E.  INGALLS, 

JOHN  SHILLITO,  GEO.  WARD  NICHOLS, 

DAVID  SINTON,  PETER  RUDOLPH  NEFF, 

WILLIAM  RESOR,  JR.,  LAWRENCE  MAXWELL,  JR., 

C.  H.  GOULD,  JACOB  BURNET,  JR., 

JOSEPH  KINSEY,  CHARLES  SHORT, 


140 

To  this  letter  Thomas  immediately  sent  an 
affirmative  reply,  without  having  consulted  any 
of  his  friends,  or,  in  reality,  given  the  matter  the 
careful  consideration  himself  that  so  important 
a  step  should  have  received.  But  he  was  worn  out 
with  his  long  struggle  against  adversity;  and  the 
thought  of  being  free  from  financial  responsibility 
in  the  maintenance  of  his  orchestra,  and  of  having 
a  chance  to  make  the  money  to  clear  himself  of 
debt  and  to  carry  out  his  long-cherished  educa- 
tional schemes,  was  so  alluring  that  he  accepted, 
without  hesitation,  by  the  return  mail,  in  the  fol- 
lowing letter: 

NEW  YORK,  Aug.  20,  1878. 

MESSRS.  REUBEN  R.  SPRINGER,  JOSEPH  LONGWORTH,  AND 
OTHERS. 

Gentlemen: 

I  acknowledge  with  satisfaction  the  receipt  of  your 
note  of  the  16th  instant,  inviting  me  to  make  my  home  in 
Cincinnati  and  accept  the  musical  direction  of  the  College 
of  Music.  I  accept  your  invitation  with  a  full  sense  of  the 
importance  of  the  trust. 

This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction  and  Cincinnati  is 
the  right  place  to  begin.  We  want  a  concentration  of 
professional  talent  and  methodical  training,  such  as  we 
have  in  other  branches  of  education,  and  a  musical  at- 
mosphere. The  formation  of  a  college  such  as  you  pro- 
pose realizes  one  of  my  fondest  hopes,  and  I  shall  work 
hard  to  make  it  superior  in  all  branches  of  musical  edu- 
cation. 

The  faculty  must  consist  of  professors  eminent  in  their 
departments  of  instruction.  With  the  assistance  of  a 
complete  orchestra  we  shall  have  the  professional  talent 


150          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

which  can  teach  the  use  of  all  orchestral  instruments.  I 
am  ready  to  begin  all  this  work  at  once,  and  advise  that 
the  college  be  opened  during  the  coming  autumn. 

Within  a  few  days  I  shall  forward  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  a  preliminary  plan  of  the  course  of  instruction 
to  be  adopted. 

With  much  respect,  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Two  days  after  the  sending  of  this  letter, 
Colonel  Nichols  arrived  in  New  York  with  a  five- 
year  contract  for  Thomas  to  sign,  drawn  up  by 
the  new  Board  of  Directors,  Messrs.  Nichols, 
Neff,  Burnet,  Shillito,  and  Springer.  It  was  as 
follows : 

MEMORANDUM  OP  AGREEMENT,  made  this  second  day  of 
August  1878,  by  and  between  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Music,  a  corporation  created  by  and  existing  under  the 
laws  of  Ohio,  of  the  first  part,  and  Theodore  Thomas,  at 
present  of  the  city  of  New  York,  of  the  second  part, 
witnesseth : 

I.  The  said  College  engages  the  services  of  the  said 
Thomas  as  its  Musical  Director  for  the  period  beginning 
with  the  seventh  day  of  October  1878,  and  ending  with 
the  thirtieth  day  of  September  1883. 

II.  During  the  said  period  the  said  Thomas  shall  make 
his  residence  in,  or  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Cincinnati, 
and  shall  be  in  the  city  and  ready  to  enter  upon  the  per- 
formance of  his  duties  by  the  said  seventh  day  of  October 
next. 

III.  During  the  said  period  the  said  Thomas  shall  be 
Musical  Director  of  the  College.     The  several  professors 
and  instructors  that  shall  or  may  be  engaged  by  the  Col- 


151 

lege  shall  be  appointed  only  upon  his  nomination.  He 
shall  organize  and  conduct  such  orchestra  as  shall  or  may 
be  established  under  the  direction  of  the  College.  He 
shall  act  as  conductor  at  all  concerts  or  performances 
that  shall  or  may  be  given  under  the  direction  of  the  Col- 
lege. Whatever  use  shall  be  made  during  the  said  period  of 
the  musical  library  heretofore  used  by  him  shall  be  with- 
out charge. 

IV.  During  the  said  period  the  said  Thomas  shall  give 
his  entire  professional  services  solely  to  the  said  College. 
He  shall,  however,  be  entitled  to  an  annual  vacation  of  at 
least  six  weeks,  to  be  taken  at  such  period  or  periods  as 
shall  accord  with  the  College  vacation. 

V.  With  the  consent  of  the  College,  evidenced  in  writ- 
ing, signed  by  one  of  its  executive  officers,  the  said  Thomas 
may  engage  to  act  as  conductor  of  an  orchestra  that  may 
perform,  or  as  Director  of  musical  performances   that 
may  be  given,  not  under  the  direction  of  the  College ;  but 
in  every  such  instance  he  shall  account  to  and  pay  over 
to  the  said  College  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  compensation 
that  shall  be  received  by  him  therefor. 

VI.  During   the   said  period   in   consideration   of   the 
services  hereinbefore  mentioned,  the  said  College  shall  pay 
to   the   said   Thomas    the    annual   compensation   of   ten 
thousand  dollars,  payable  on  the  first  day  of  each  and 
every  month  in  equal  monthly  instalments. 

(Signed) 

GEORGE  WARD  NICHOLS,  President. 
THEODORE  THOMAS. 

This  contract  was  drawn  up  by  business  men 
on  the  simple  business  principle  of  getting  the 
maximum  of  service  at  the  minimum  of  com- 
pensation. No  doubt  the  Directors  of  the  new 


152          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

institution  meant  well  and  planned  to  do  some- 
thing fine,  but  subsequent  events  showed  that 
they  had,  from  the  start,  only  the  vaguest  concep- 
tion of  what  a  musical  institution  of  the  caliber 
they  were  negotiating  with  Thomas  to  organize, 
really  was,  or  what  it  would  require  in  either 
money,  ability,  or  regulations.  They  probably 
did  not  realize,  also,  what  a  hard  bargain  their 
contract  drove  with  Thomas.  Divested  of  its 
legal  phraseology  it  bound  him  to  organize  a 
great  institution  of  learning,  to  select  its  instruct- 
ors, plan  all  the  details  of  its  courses  of  study, 
and  conduct  all  the  ensemble  concerts  of  its 
students.  In  addition  to  these  duties,  which 
were  sufficient  in  themselves  to  have  absorbed  the 
entire  time  of  the  Musical  Director,  the  contract 
bound  him  to  assemble  and  train  a  symphony 
orchestra,  outside  of  the  College,  and  conduct  all 
of  its  concerts.  He  was  also  to  furnish  all  of  its 
music  at  his  own  expense,  as  well  as  to  pay  one- 
fifth  of  his  private  earnings  into  the  College 
treasury.  Thomas,  however,  did  not  worry  over 
the  terms  of  his  contract,  for  he  knew  that  as 
soon  as  he  had  had  time  to  perfect  his  Cincinnati 
orchestra  he  would  be  able  to  fill  all  his  vacations 
with  lucrative  concert  tours,  and  counted  on  these, 
and  other  engagements,  to  bring  him  in  enough 
money  to  pay  his  debts,  which  was  what  he  was 
chiefly  concerned  about  at  that  time. 

The  preliminaries  of  the  Cincinnati  engagement 
having  been  thus  satisfactorily  settled,  it  only 
remained  for  Thomas  and  his  family  to  pack  their 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           153 

lares  and  penates,  and  start  for  their  new  home 
in  the  Western  city.  Arrived  there,  a  pleasant 
house  was  rented  in  the  suburb  of  Walnut  Hills, 
and  Thomas  immediately  entered  with  enthu- 
siasm into  the  new  work  he  had  undertaken. 

In  order  to  understand  subsequent  events,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  reader  should  first  have  a  clear 
idea  of  what  Thomas  meant  by  the  term  "  Musical 
University,"  of  his  designs  for  such  an  institution, 
and  the  reasons  why  he  considered  its  creation  of 
vital  importance  to  the  musical  life  of  America. 
He  has  left  two  little  manuscripts  behind  him, 
written  at  different  times,  which  embody  briefly 
his  ideas  on  these  points,  and  which  can  be  ap- 
propriately inserted  here: 

ON  THE  NEED  OF  A  MUSICAL  UNIVERSITY  IN  AMERICA 
BY  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Music  as  an  art  is  very  little  understood  in  America, 
comparatively  little  attention  is  paid  to  it  by  the  intel- 
lectual classes  of  the  people,  and  others  are  attracted  to 
it  merely  for  its  emotional  or  social  qualities.  And  yet 
a  great  deal  of  money  is  spent  in  this  country  for  music 
every  year.  Costly  performances  are  given,  many  people 
are  professionally  engaged  in  it  and  many  of  our  young 
people  are  sent  to  foreign  lands  to  study — often  at  the 
greatest  sacrifice,  not  only  pecuniarily,  but  morally. 
American  teachers  know  well  the  dangers  of  sending  young 
people,  especially  women,  to  Europe  to  study  music,  but 
no  other  course  is  open  to  them.  Not  because  one  cannot 
learn  to  play  an  instrument,  or  master  the  science  of 
music  in  America,  but  because  the  atmosphere  of  an  edu- 


154          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

cational  institution  free  from  the  "  make-it-pay  "  influ- 
ence is  lacking.  An  institution  where  the  student  will 
meet  others  of  ability  superior  to  his  own,  join  classes 
where  it  will  require  his  utmost  effort  to  excel  and  where 
he  will  be  guided  by  superior  minds.  Where,  in  short,  he 
may  receive  some  intellectual  training,  and  be  given  men- 
tal food  prepared  by  persons  of  experience  who  know 
what  he  and  the  world  want. 

All  of  this  he  can  find  only  in  Europe.  Nevertheless 
how  unsatisfactory  is  the  result,  for,  nine  times  out  of  ten, 
he  returns  from  Europe  unfit  for  any  practical  work  at 
home,  because  he  has  stayed  away  long  enough  to  be  out 
of  sympathy  with  his  own  country,  but  not  long  enough 
to  have  gone  much  beyond  the  rudiments  of  his  art.  The 
result  is  disappointment  and  failure,  not  because  of  lack 
of  talent  or  perseverance  on  his  part,  but  because  the 
conditions  and  demands  of  the  two  continents  differ,  and 
the  American  public  does  not  esteem  art  as  he  has  learned 
to  esteem  it,  is  not  in  touch  with  him  and  does  not  allow 
him  to  practice  it  in  accordance  with  his  true  ideals. 

That,  in  spite  of  the  many  good  concerts  given  every 
year  in  America,  the  musical  standards  here  are  unde- 
niably low,  can  be  seen  by  the  class  of  music  used  in  the 
churches  and  theaters,  as  well  as  by  the  tone  of  much  of 
our  press  criticism.  In  the  churches,  surely,  one  would 
expect  that  nothing  of  an  inferior  nature  would  be  toler- 
ated, especially  when  one  considers  how  much  good  music 
has  been  composed  for  church  purposes.  But  the  stand- 
ard ordinarily  reached  in  the  music  of  our  churches  does 
not  go  much  beyond  sentimentality,  and  is  generally  out 
of  place  and  without  anything  elevated  in  its  character. 
Perhaps  the  church  music  committees  imagine,  like  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  that  music  descends  from  heaven — 
only  they  should  look  for  it  somewhere  else  than  in  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           155 

works  of  third  and  fourth  rate  composers,  and  find  some 
better  way  of  performing  it  than  through  the  medium 
of  the  customary  ill-blended  quartette  of  mixed  voices, 
or  the  average  choir  of  badly-trained  boys.  I  can  see 
no  difference  between  this  and  the  ordinary  third-rate 
concert  given  with  the  sole  object  of  amusing  the  listener 
and  taking  in  as  much  money  as  possible  at  the  door.  In 
the  churches  it  is  certainly  not  right  to  cater  to  the  en- 
tertainment of  the  congregation,  and  if  the  object  of 
church  music  is  to  please  the  ear  rather  than  to  elevate  the 
soul,  then  no  one  should  wonder  at  the  waning  influence 
of  the  church  to-day. 

As  for  the  theater  orchestras,  their  quality  is  an  insult 
to  any  cultivated  mind. 

Again,  we  may  estimate  our  musical  standard  in 
America  by  our  critics.  Before  a  man  is  competent  to 
criticise  art  he  must  first  be  an  expert  in  some  branch  of 
that  art,  and  have  had  enough  experience  in  his  specialty 
to  transpose — so  to  speak — his  point  of  view  to  all  the 
rest.  Secondly,  he  must  have  a  broad  education  to  enable 
him  to  be  just,  and  finally  he  must  have  unbounded  love 
for  and  faith  in  his  art,  in  order  to  remain  honest. 
Theory  alone  is  one  thing,  but  practice  quite  another, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  with  but  a  few  exceptions  our 
newspaper  critics  have  not  learned  their  technic  or  been 
properly  prepared  for  this  field.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  no  sincere  musical  work  is  done  in  America,  on  the 
contrary,  we  have  many  earnest  musicians,  and  a  number 
of  able  critics ;  but  I  speak  now  of  the  general  average, 
the  rank  and  file,  of  which  the  standard  is  deplorably  low. 
Nor  can  it  be  otherwise  so  long  as  we  have  not  a  single 
endowed  musical  institution  which  can  be  regarded  as 
on  the  same  plane  with  our  great  universities,  nor  any 
well  furnished  public  library  of  music  and  works  on  music 


156 

for  reference.  Every  European  country  has  found  it 
necessary  to  have  such  musical  colleges,  in  order,  first,  to 
shape  the  taste  of  the  people,  and  afterwards  to  emanci- 
pate them  from  foreign  influences  and  develop  national 
characteristics.  America  has,  as  yet,  been  too  young  to 
see  the  pressing  need  of  such  an  institution,  but  it  will 
come  in  time. 

A  PLAN   FOR  A  MUSICAL  UNIVERSITY 

This  institution,  which  I  have  called  a  "  University  " 
for  lack  of  a  better  term,  should  not  be  a  school  for 
beginners,  for  there  are  many  excellent  schools  and  con- 
servatories already  established  which  are  well  equipped 
for  the  training  of  amateurs.  It  should  be  a  school  for 
the  training  of  professionals  in  the  higher  branches  of 
music,  and  should  have  an  endowment  sufficient  to  enable 
its  Board  of  Directors  to  conduct  it  without  relying  upon 
the  income  received  from  tuition  fees  for  its  financial 
support,  and  to  offer  to  its  students  every  facility  for 
the  broadest  training  in  all  departments  of  art.  It  should 
take  only  such  students  as  are  able  to  pass  its  examina- 
tions, and  agree  to  remain  for  a  sufficient  number  of 
years  to  take  its  full  course. 

Executive  musicians  could  here  be  trained  for  solo  or 
orchestral  work,  composers  could  learn  every  necessary 
detail  of  the  art  of  expressing  their  musical  creations,  and 
teachers  could  acquire  the  most  approved  methods  of  im- 
parting instruction.  Nor  would  the  work  in  the  class- 
room be  the  only  advantage  offered  to  the  students,  but 
they  would  also  receive  a  constant  training  in  public  per- 
formance. Those  who  were  training  for  an  orchestral 
career  would  be  united  into  a  students'  orchestra,  and  those 
training  for  solo  work  would  fill  the  roles  of  soloists.  The 
two  together  would  perform  in  frequent  exhibition  con- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          157 

certs,  on  the  programmes  of  which  the  works  of  those  who 
were  studying  composition  would  find  a  place.  In  like 
manner  solo  and  chorus  singers  would  be  trained. 

This  constant  exhibition  before  invited  audiences  would 
stimulate  in  the  highest  degree  the  exertions  of  the 
students,  and  help  them  to  attain,  while  still  in  the  class- 
room, the  individuality,  self-control,  and  concert  style 
which  must  now  all  be  learned  after  the  young  artist  is 
formally  before  the  public  and  under  the  lash  of  criticism. 

In  connection  with  the  institution,  a  permanent  sym- 
phony orchestra  should  be  maintained,  but  under  a  sepa- 
rate endowment.  The  musicians  constituting  this  or- 
chestra should  be  the  best  obtainable  in  the  world;  and 
should  not  only  belong  to  the  orchestra,  but  should  be 
the  instructors  of  their  several  instruments  in  the  uni- 
versity. The  double  engagement  thus  offered  would  solve 
the  most  serious  of  the  problems  connected  with  the  main- 
tenance of  both  institutions.  One  business  management 
and  one  building  would  serve  for  both,  and  thereby  the 
university  would  be  saved  the  expenses  of  business  man- 
agement, while  the  orchestra  would  be  saved  the  rent  of 
halls  and  offices.  The  additional  income  and  prolonged 
engagement  of  the  orchestra  musicians  as  instructors  in 
the  university,  would  obviate  the  necessity  of  sending  the 
orchestra  out  of  town  on  concert  tours,  or  taking  inferior 
engagements  during  the  summer  season.  For  this  reason 
the  very  finest  talent  could  be  secured — for  the  most 
difficult  problem  in  the  life  of  the  orchestral  musician  is 
to  find  artistic  employment  during  the  summer — and  the 
standard  of  instruction  and  executive  work  in  the  two  in- 
stitutions would  be  of  the  very  highest. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  a  university  must  pro- 
vide for  its  professors  a  sufficient  salary  to  pay  for  their 
whole  time;  but  by  taking  them  from  the  orchestra  it 


158          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

would  be  responsible  only  in  proportion  to  the  actual 
amount  of  service  required  of  them,  which  would  result  in 
a  very  great  saving  on  the  salaries  of  many  of  its  faculty. 
.  In  short  the  two  institutions  would  work  together  and 
supplement  each  other  in  many  ways,  and  create,  in  com- 
bination, an  art  institution  of  the  highest  order,  which 
would  exert  an  incalculable  influence  in  the  promotion  of 
musical  culture  throughout  America. 

It  was  with  these  plans  and  ideals  in  his  mind 
that  Thomas  started  his  work  in  the  Cincinnati 
College  of  Music.  But  it  was  not  very  long 
before  he  discovered  that  they  were  not,  by  any 
means,  the  plans  and  ideals  of  Mr;  Nichols  and 
the  Board,  who,  on  their  part,  saw  the  institution 
from  a  very  different  point  of  view.  In  their 
negotiations  with  Thomas  they  had,  throughout, 
spoken  of  the  proposed  college  as  a  "  Musical 
University,"  of  the  standard  of  the  best  European 
institutions  of  the  kind.  But  when  it  came  to 
working  it  out  practically,  what  they  really  had  in 
mind  was  only  a  good  conservatory,  such  as 
Tourgee  had  already  founded  in  Boston.  They 
had  raised  no  endowment  sufficient  for  the  main- 
tenance of  a  scheme  of  such  magnitude  as  a  uni- 
versity, a  chorus,  and  a  symphony  orchestra,  and 
when  Thomas  began  the  work  of  creating  the  art 
institution  he  had  been  engaged  to  organize,  he 
found  the  means  at  his  command  absurdly  inade- 
quate for  the  purpose,  and  that  the  Directors  even 
expected  it  to  pay  its  own  way — something  no 
"  university,"  musical  or  otherwise,  ever  did,  or 
could  do. 


159 

It  must  have  been  a  keen  disappointment  to 
him  when  he  realized  this,  but  he  did  not  allow 
himself  to  be  discouraged,  but  simply  changed 
his  plans,  and  instead  of  springing  his  musical 
university  upon  the  world  full-fledged,  as  he  had 
intended,  decided  to  begin  with  a  good  school  and 
develop  it  gradually  into  the  higher  class  of  insti- 
tution, believing  that  the  money  would  be  forth- 
coming when  the  public-spirited  men  of  Cin- 
cinnati should  see  what  the  scope  and  importance 
of  the  college  might  become  under  favorable 
auspices. 

The  labors  of  Thomas  during  his  first  season  in 
Cincinnati  (1878-79)  might  well  be  called  hercu- 
lean, for  he  not  only  faithfully  fulfilled  the  terms 
of  his  contract,  but  also  taught  certain  classes, 
organized  and  held  frequent  rehearsals  with  a 
college  chorus  and  trained  a  string  quartette,  in 
which  he  himself  played  the  first  violin,  and  which 
gave  a  series  of  twelve  concerts  during  the  winter. 
Outside  of  the  college  he  gave,  with  its  profes- 
sional orchestra,  a  series  of  twenty-four  Symphony 
Concerts,  and  also  attended  to  the  regular  work  of 
the  May  Festival  Association,  such  as  rehearsing 
with  its  chorus  at  frequent  intervals,  supervising 
its  work  in  general,  and  making  all  the  other 
preliminary  arrangements  for  the  festival  of 
1880.  Once  a  month  he  spent  a  week  in  New 
York,  rehearsing  for,  and  conducting,  the  con- 
certs of  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society,  but 
this  was  the  only  out-of-town  engagement  which 
he  was  able  to  fill  during  this  busy  year.  When 


160          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  summer  came,  instead  of  resting  in  his  vacation 
time,  he  conducted  a  long  series  of  Summer 
Night  Concerts  at  the  Highland  House. 

But,  arduous  though  these  labors  were,  they 
were  nevertheless  easy  in  comparison  with  the 
life  of  incessant  traveling  which  had  hitherto  been 
his  lot,  and  the  work  he  was  now  engaged  in  was 
very  interesting  to  him.  Thomas  had  an  essen- 
tially creative  mind,  and  he  was  never  so  happy 
as  when  he  was  planning  and  executing  some 
colossal  musical  undertaking.  In  Cincinnati  he 
hoped  to  build  up  a  truly  great  institution  of 
art,  as  well  as  a  perfect  chorus  and  symphony  or- 
chestra, and  to  make  the  city  the  musical  Mecca 
of  America.  With  such  a  vast  scheme  as  this  for 
his  ultimate  goal  he  simply  gloried  in  the  work 
involved  in  its  achievement. 


CHAPTER  IX 

1878-1880 

OUTLINE  OF  THOMAS'  METHODS  OF  WORK  IN  THE  CINCINNATI 

COLLEGE     OF     MUSIC TROUBLE     DEVELOPS     BETWEEN 

THOMAS  AND  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  COLLEGE THOMAS 

RESIGNS  FROM  THE   COLLEGE THE  MAY   FESTIVAL  OF 

1880 

HAVING  thus  seen  what  Thomas  had  in  mind  as 
the  final  development  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Music,  let  us  examine  his  work  there  in  detail, 
and  see  in  how  far  he  was  able  to  carry  out  his 
work  there  in  detail,  and  see  in  how  far  he  was 
able  to  carry  out  his  plans,  and  what  was  actually 
accomplished  under  his  brief  regime  of  eighteen 
months. 

It  might  have  been  expected  that,  as  Thomas 
was  himself  an  instrumentalist  and  conductor 
of  orchestra,  he  would  have  begun  the  work 
of  the  College  on  instrumental,  rather  than 
on  vocal  lines.  But  this  was  not  the  case,  and,  on 
the  contrary,  his  first  months  were  devoted  chiefly 
to  organizing  the  various  vocal  departments  in  the 
most  thorough  manner.  It  was  his  theory  that  the 
voice,  being  easier  than  an  instrument  for  a 
beginner  to  use,  should  be  substituted  for  an 
instrument  in  teaching  beginners  to  acquire  an 
elementary  knowledge  of  certain  important  points 

161 


162          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

which  are  fundamental  to  all  music,  whether 
vocal  or  instrumental.  With  this  idea  in  mind 
he  organized  chorus  classes,  which  all  the  students 
of  the  College  were  obliged  to  attend,  irrespective 
of  their  specialties,  and  in  these  classes  they  were 
instructed  in  pitch,  tone  quality,  time,  accent, 
rhythm,  musical  expression,  etc.;  also  to  read  at 
sight,  to  sound  a  given  tone  without  the  help  of 
an  instrument,  to  give  proper  light  and  shade, 
and  to  understand  the  elements  of  harmony.  In 
short,  all  necessary  theoretical  knowledge  was 
imparted  here,  in  order  that  the  pupils  might  give 
their  whole  time  and  attention  to  the  technical 
part  when  with  a  teacher  for  special  study. 

After  the  chorus  classes,  which  all  the  students 
were  obliged  to  attend,  came  the  vocalization 
classes,  for  the  singers  only.  These  classes  were 
open,  not  only  to  all  the  vocal  students  of  the 
College,  but  also  to  such  outside  singers  as  had 
the  necessary  qualifications  for  admission.  Here 
the  work  began  with  simple  exercises  for  placing 
the  voice,  after  which  the  students  were  carried 
forward  gradually  to  the  more  difficult  feats  of 
vocalization,  flexibility,  and  velocity,  and  were 
carefully  drilled  in  pitch,  intonation,  time,  light 
and  shade,  etc.  These  classes  were  designed  to 
prepare  the  voices  for  work  of  a  still  more 
special  character. 

The  third  vocal  department  was  the  College 
Choir,  which  was  a  small,"  but  very  highly-trained 
chorus  for  concert  purposes.  This  Choir  was  open 
to  singers  both  within  and  without  the  College; 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  163 

it  was  organized  early  in  January,  1879,  and  as 
soon  as  its  membership  had  been  selected,  Thomas 
sent  the  following  circular  letter  to  each  of  the 
singers : 

CINCINNATI,  Jan.,  1879. 
To  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  COLLEGE  CHOIB, 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

I  desire  to  address  the  members  of  the  Choir,  and  to 
impress  upon  their  attention  and  their  memories  several 
important  considerations.  The  object  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  Choir  is  to  cultivate  chorus  singing  with  a 
view  to  instruct  the  singer  in  the  science  of  music,  develop 
the  voice,  and  thus  produce,  in  a  more  perfect  way,  choral 
works. 

The  conditions  required  to  reach  this  object  are:  ability 
in  the  singers  to  sing  equally  well,  as  far  as  possible,  a 
harmonious  balance  of  the  parts,  and  the  aim  of  a  high 
standard.  All  of  this  can  be  acquired  only  by  thorough 
study  and  cultivation. 

The  Choir  must  necessarily  be  in  the  beginning  crude 
and  misshapen,  and  the  first  step  is  to  model  it ;  by  care- 
ful, painstaking  work  to  obtain  from  each  member  the 
best  he  can  do,  and  then  equalize  the  whole.  To  do  this 
effectively  I  propose  to  begin  with  elementary  instruction 
in  music.  This  exercise  may  with  many  be  a  recapitula- 
tion of  their  former  studies,  but  even  with  them  it  is  neces- 
sary. 

The  exercises  will  be  as  follows:  1.  Interval  exercises. 
2.  Knowledge  of  Chords.  3.  Harmonic  changes.  4. 
Modulation.  5.  Rules  and  exercises  for  pronunciation. 
6.  Exercises  for  flexibility  and  velocity  of  the  voice,  com- 
bined with  vocal  coloring  and  pronunciation  of  vowels. 

In  order  to  make  satisfactory  progress  we  may,  at  the 
start,  require  more  than  one  session  a  week  for  vocal  ex- 


164          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ercises.  It  may  be  desirable  for  the  women's  voices  to  be 
practiced  separately  during  the  day,  and  the  men's  voices 
separately  at  night,  and  then,  at  the  united  session,  after 
some  general  elementary  musical  instruction,  to  study  a 
four-part  choral  work. 

There  is  another  subject  about  which  I  must  speak  very 
plainly.  We  invite  to  this  Choir  only  those  who  are  in 
earnest,  who  wish  to  become  skilled  singers,  and  who  will 
meet  our  effort  to  teach  with  corresponding  effort  to  learn, 
and  will  attend  the  appointed  hours  for  study  and  the 
concerts.  A  private  student  in  the  College  who  loses  a 
lesson  is  the  chief  sufferer,  but  the  neglect  of  a  member 
of  the  Choir  injures  that  symmetry  which  is  made  by  the 
perfect  balance  of  the  parts.  Furthermore  it  is  not  de- 
sirable that  singers  should  join  the  Choir  for  a  brief 
period  only.  The  plan  of  instruction  embraces  a  term  of 
two  or  three  years. 

THEODORE  THOMAS,  Musical  Director. 

It  was  Thomas'  principle  that  a  chorus  should 
be  trained  to  exactly  the  same  thorough  musician- 
ship, and  with  the  same  attention  to  detail,  as  an 
orchestra.  It  was  for  this  reason,  therefore,  that 
he  was  so  careful  that  its  members  should  be  pre- 
pared for  their  work  in  the  foregoing  manner. 
He  was  willing  to  give  infinite  time  and  trouble 
to  these  preliminary  studies  in  their  own  proper 
classes,  but  when  he  conducted  a  concert  rehearsal 
it  was  another  matter.  There,  he  expected  every 
singer  to  know  his  technic  and  to  take  his  part 
with  the  same  accuracy  and  perfection  as  that 
shown  by  the  orchestra,  and  he  was  very  severe  to 
any  shortcomings  in  the  matter. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  165 

A  characteristic  story  is  told  of  one  of  the  first 
rehearsals  of  the  College  Choir,  at  which  Thomas 
had  reprimanded  some  of  the  sopranos  sharply 
for  inattention.  "  He  treats  us  as  if  we  were 
members  of  his  orchestra!"  exclaimed  an  indig- 
nant singer  to  her  next  neighbor.  Thomas  over- 
heard the  remark  and  let  it  pass  for  the  moment, 
but  at  the  close  of  the  rehearsal,  as  the  performers 
were  leaving  the  stage,  he  passed  the  lady  in  ques- 
tion and,  turning  to  her,  said  very  quietly,  but 
with  that  biting  sarcasm  which  those  who  knew 
him  did  not  care  to  excite:  "Madame,  you  will 
have  to  sing  a  great  deal  better  than  you  do  now 
before  I  shall  treat  you  as  I  treat  the  members 
of  my  orchestra !  " 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  classes  for  ensem- 
ble singing,  there  was,  of  course,  private  instruc- 
tion for  those  pupils  who  wished  to  study  solo 
singing  only.  Later  also,  classes  were  organized 
for  the  training  of  boy  choir  singers,  and  others 
for  the  instruction  of  adult  church  singers.  In 
short,  the  vocal  department  of  the  Cincinnati 
College  of  Music  was  organized  in  the  most  thor- 
ough and  comprehensive  manner. 

The  second  department  of  the  College  was  the 
orchestra,  and  for  this  the  various  classes  were 
planned  on  a  similar  system.  Beginners  had  to 
join  the  chorus  classes  for  their  elementary  theo- 
retical studies,  and  then  were  specialized  for 
technical  training  on  their  several  instruments. 
Later  they  were  given  a  thorough  course  of  in- 
struction in  harmony,  counterpoint,  instrumenta- 


166         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

tion,  and,  in  some  instances,  composition.  As  soon 
as  they  were  theoretically  and  technically  ready 
for  ensemble  work  they  were  united  into  or- 
chestral classes,  which  were  described  as  follows 
in  the  College  prospectus  of  the  second  year: 

ORCHESTRA  CLASSES.  These  classes  will  be  carefully  or- 
ganized with  the  view  of  teaching  those  who  are  studying 
orchestral  instruments  how  to  play  in  concerted  music,  and 
give  them  that  technical  and  practical  instruction  which 
will  enable  them  to  enter  the  orchestra  as  a  profession. 
It  is  part  of  the  plan  of  the  College  to  give  every  season 
a  series  of  orchestra  and  chamber  concerts,  and  this  is  the 
first  opportunity  ever  offered  in  this  country  to  study  in 
an  orchestra  class,  be  graduated  and  then  actually  to  en- 
ter the  orchestra.  In  these  classes  the  students  will  be 
trained  in  playing  trios,  quartettes,  and  other  chamber 
music.  They  will  also  be  taught  to  play  the  music  of 
symphonies  and  other  works  for  the  full  orchestra.  These 
classes  will  be  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Mr. 
Thomas. 

The  remaining  departments  of  the  College  were 
such  as  are  to  be  found  in  all  good  music  schools, 
and  consisted  of  Theory,  Piano,  Organ,  History 
of  Music,  Lectures  on  Musical  Subjects,  Score 
Playing  and  Conducting,  Languages,  Elocution, 
Concert-room  Deportment,  Dramatic  Expression, 
etc. 

From  the  foregoing  brief  outline  it  will  be  seen 
that,  although  the  College  of  Music  could  not, 
as  yet,  be  considered  a  "  University  "  in  any  sense 
of  the  word,  it  was  nevertheless  rapidly  being 


167 

developed  on  university  lines,  and  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  the  man  who  could  achieve 
such  important  results  in  the  short  period  of 
eighteen  months,  would  eventually  have  carried 
it  to  its  logical  conclusion,  had  time,  money,  and 
authority  been  given  him.  Unfortunately  none  of 
these  essentials  were  at  his  command  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Music.  But,  in  spite  of  the 
handicap  under  which  he  worked,  the  close  of  the 
first  season  of  the  College  found  it  a  thoroughly 
organized  school,  possessing,  in  addition  to  the 
customary  departments  of  such  institutions,  a 
chorus  of  three  hundred  thoroughly  trained  voices, 
a  fine  string  quartette  for  chamber  music,  and  a 
symphony  orchestra.  In  short,  with  these  advan- 
tages, and  the  biennial  May  Festivals,  already 
established,  Cincinnati  had  only  to  go  on  as  it  had 
begun  and  it  would  soon  have  become,  in  very 
truth,  the  leading  musical  center  of  America  and 
one  of  the  foremost  in  the  world. 

This  inspiring  dream  was,  however,  not  destined 
to  be  realized,  and  before  the  first  twelve  months 
were  over,  friction  began  to  develop  between 
Thomas  and  the  President  of  the  College. 
Thomas  had  certain  personal  peculiarities  to 
which  everyone  who  worked  in  association  with 
him  had  to  get  accustomed,  before  they  could  co- 
operate harmoniously  together.  Knowing  him- 
self to  be  an  expert  in  his  art,  he  took  it  for 
granted  that  when  he  was  engaged  to  supervise 
any  artistic  enterprise  it  was  because  its  promoters 
wanted  a  man  of  recognized  ability  to  guide  them 


168 

in  matters  which  they  did  not  understand  for 
themselves.  Hence  he  expected  that  his  sugges- 
tions would,  in  the  main,  be  adopted.  He  was 
very  willing  to  lay  everything  before  the  Board 
of  Directors  and  modify  or  alter  his  designs  in  any 
reasonable  way  which  they  desired,  if  it  did  not 
affect  the  artistic  standard  of  the  enterprise  in 
hand.  But  after  they  had  mutually  decided  upon 
a  course  of  action  and  it  had  been  made  public, 
he  insisted  that  it  should  be  carried  out  to  the 
letter,  nor  would  any  persuasion  induce  him  to 
change  even  the  smallest  detail,  for  he  considered 
it  a  breach  of  faith  with  the  public  to  do  so. 

The  men  who  were  in  sympathy  with  his  ideals 
worked  in  perfect  harmony  with  him  for  many 
years,  and  found  him  amenable,  reasonable,  and 
easy  to  deal  with.  But  there  were  others,  like 
the  President  and  Board  of  the  College,  who  did 
not  understand  him  or  his  methods,  and,  after 
putting  him  nominally  in  charge  of  an  under- 
taking, would  either  not  accept  his  plans,  or,  what 
was  worse,  would  accept  and  advertise  them,  and 
then  fail  to  carry  them  out  as  agreed.  To  these 
he  showed  himself  an  ugly  customer.  President 
Nichols  also  often  angered  him  by  small  inter- 
ferences, which,  as  the  president  and  founder  of 
the  College,  he  no  doubt  thought  he  had  a  right 
to,  and  which  he  perhaps  considered  too  unim- 
portant to  consult  Thomas  about.  But  to  Thomas 
no  smallest  detail  of  his  work  was  unimportant. 
Everything,  even  to  the  punctuation  marks  on  his 
programmes,  was  thought  out  and  planned  with 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          169 

infinite  care  and  accuracy,  and  to  have  any  change 
made  after  it  left  his  hand  aroused  his  bitter  re- 
sentment. He  used  to  say  of  himself,  "  I  can  be 
led  by  a  silk  thread,  but  I  cannot  be  hauled  by  a 
ship's  cable.  In  all  matters  but  one — art — I  am 
willing  to  give  up  my  way,  but  there  I  am  a 
tyrant." 

In  his  troubles  with  Mr.  Nichols  no  doubt 
there  were  two  sides  to  the  controversy,  as  there 
generally  are,  for  Mr.  Nichols  was  not  working 
for  any  selfish  aim,  but,  on  the  contrary,  was  try- 
ing to  found  a  noble  institution  in  accordance 
with  his  lights.  But  the  two  men  looked  at  the 
matter  from  such  widely  separated  points  of  view, 
that  it  was  impossible,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
that  they  should  long  continue  to  work  together. 
The  idea  of  Mr.  Nichols  and  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors was  that  the  College  should  be  made  a 
self-supporting  institution,  and  be  maintained  by 
its  tuition  fees,  on  the  principle  of  a  private 
school.  To  do  this  it  was,  of  course,  necessary  to 
have  a  very  large  number  of  students,  and  this,  in 
turn,  necessitated  accepting  every  student  who 
applied,  and  for  any  period  for  which  he  wished 
to  come.  The  idea  of  Thomas  was  that  the  insti- 
tution should  be  supported  by  an  endowment, 
independent  of  its  tuition  fees,  and  that  no  stu- 
dents should  be  accepted  who  could  not  show  them- 
selves to  possess  real  musical  talent,  or  who  were 
unwilling  to  remain  for  a  full  course  of  study. 
These  were  the  chief  points  of  difference  between 
Thomas  and  the  Board,  but  there  were  many  other 


170          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

less  important  matters  in  which  Thomas  found 
that  the  promises  of  the  prospectus  were  not  being 
fulfilled.  Under  these  circumstances  it  was  char- 
acteristic of  him  to  decide,  that  unless  the  Board 
would  make  a  complete  change  in  the  policy  of 
the  College,  he  would  leave,  although  he  had  now 
arranged  his  private  affairs  so  satisfactorily  that 
his  combined  income  from  the  College,  the  May 
Festival  Association,  the  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn Philharmonic  Societies,  and  his  vacation  con- 
cert engagements,  was  large  enough  to  promise 
the  speedy  payment  of  his  burden  of  debt,  and 
that,  on  the  other  hand,  if  he  left  Cincinnati,  he 
would  be  in  just  the  same  hopeless  financial  situa- 
tion as  before  he  came.  This  consideration  did  not 
weigh  with  him  for  a  moment,  however,  in  com- 
parison with  what  he  considered  his  artistic  in- 
tegrity, and  in  February,  1880,  matters  came  to 
a  climax  between  him  and  President  Nichols,  and 
he  sent  the  following  letter  to  the  chairman  of  the 
Board: 

CINCINNATI,  Feb.  27,  1880. 

ME.  A.  T.  GOSHORN,  CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  BOARD  OF 
DIRECTORS. 

Dear  Sir: 

I  am  in  receipt  of  your  communication  of  the  25th,  en- 
closing the  report  of  your  committee  for  my  examination. 
There  are  some  minor  matters  of  detail  concerning  the 
curriculum  and  prospectus  which  will  require  further  con- 
sideration. But  there  are  two  matters  of  fundamental  im- 
portance, as  to  one  of  which  my  suggestion  is  disregarded, 
and  as  to  the  other  the  report  is  ambiguous. 

In  regard  to  the  first  instance  I  am  clear  that  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           171 

school  year  cannot  be  divided  into  more  than  two  terras. 

According  to  regulation  No.  2,  of  your  report,  the 
Musical  Director  is  to  be  charged  with  and  held  responsible 
for  the  musical  conducting  of  the  College.  I  am  willing  to 
assume  this  responsibility  but  I  must  insist  upon  being 
intrusted  with  the  exclusive  direction  of  the  school  in  all 
its  departments,  reserving  to  the  Board,  of  course,  all 
questions  involving  the  expenditure  of  money.  In  other 
words  I  insist  upon  occupying  that  relation  to  the  school 
which  is  ordinarily  involved  in  the  office  of  a  President  of 
a  college,  and  I  expect  the  Board  of  Directors  and  its 
officers  to  sustain  the  relation  ordinarily  sustained  by  the 
Trustees  of  a  college. 

Under  these  conditions,  with  a  curriculum  established, 
and  discipline  maintained,  I  have  confidence  in  the  prospect 
of  building  up  a  great  musical  college.  Under  any  other 
conditions  I  consider  further  effort  in  that  behalf  futile, 
and  I  therefore  desire  to  know  at  the  earliest  day  con- 
venient whether  my  suggestions  are  acceptable.  If  they 
are,  I  think  it  important  that  the  changes  which  they  in- 
volve in  the  office  of  the  College  should  be  made  at  once. 
I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  your  answer  by,  say,  next 
Tuesday. 

Yours  truly, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

This  letter  was  no  doubt  considered  rather 
autocratic  in  tone,  and  the  Board  did  not  like  it 
very  much.  But  they  were  patient  with  their 
restive  Director  and  their  reply  was  a  request 
for  a  fuller  explanation  of  Thomas'  understand- 
ing of  the  relations  of  the  president  of  a  university 
to  its  Board  of  Trustees.  This  Thomas  sent, 
concluding  his  letter  with  the  words: 


172         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  I  assure  you  that  it  is  my  earnest  desire  to  adhere 
to  rny  contract  with  the  College,  in  the  success  of  which, 
under  proper  organization,  I  lack  no  confidence.  But  you 
must  appreciate  that  my  professional  reputation  is  at 
stake,  and  that  I  cannot  in  justice  to  myself  consent  to 
continue  longer  responsible  for  a  school,  the  direction  of 
which  is  not  confided  to  me,  and  am  therefore  entitled  to 
know,  without  delay,  what  will  be  done.  I  simply  insist 
on  being  in  fact  what  I  am  now  only  in  name,  viz.,  Di- 
rector of  Music  of  this  College.  That  office  I  am  entitled 
to  under  my  contract,  and  I  decline  to  act  any  longer 
as  assistant  or  associate  Director." 

Reading  between  the  lines  of  these  letters,  the 
Directors,  of  course,  knew  that  Thomas  had  given 
them  a  choice  between  himself  and  President 
Nichols,  and  this  placed  them  in  a  very  embar- 
rassing position.  They  could  not  very  well  ask 
for  the  resignation  of  the  man  who  had  founded, 
and  done  most  of  the  work  of  carrying  on  the 
business  of  the  College.  On  the  other  hand  the 
controversy  between  Thomas  and  the  College  had 
been  blown  far  and  wide  over  the  country,  andj 
even  in  Cincinnati  itself,  the  chorus  of  the  Musical 
Festival  Association,  and  most  of  its  directors, 
had  raised  such  a  strong  partisanship  in  behalf  of 
Thomas  that  there  was  sure  to  be  a  storm  of 
indignation  and  protest  if  the  Board  should  take 
any  action  which  might  be  construed  into  an 
affront  to  Thomas. 

In  this  dilemma  the  Board  temporized,  and  sent 
him  a  long,  rambling  epistle,  chiefly  devoted  to  a 
justification  of  their  course  in  the  past,  and  giving 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  173 

him  no  definite  answer  at  all  on  the  points  at 
issue.  This  evasive  reply  made  Thomas  very 
angry,  and  he  cut  the  matter  short  without  more 
ado,  by  sending  his  resignation  to  the  Board  in  the 
following  letter: 

CINCINNATI,  March  4,  1880. 
To  THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  CINCINNATI 

COLLEGE  OF  Music. 
Gentlemen: 

I  am  in  receipt  of  the  letter  of  your  Committee,  dated 
the  2d  instant.  I  regard  it  as  a  misrepresentation  of  my 
position,  and  an  evasion  of  the  real  issue.  That  position 
and  issue  you  certainly  cannot  misunderstand,  in  view 
of  the  communications,  written  and  verbal,  which  I  have 
had  with  your  Committee  and  the  President  of  your 
Board. 

I  therefore  deem  all  further  negotiations  useless,  and 
respectfully  request  you  to  relieve  me  from  my  duties  on 
October  1st,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  will  enable  you  to 
secure  my  successor. 

Yours  truly, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

No  doubt  the  Board  were  much  pleased  to  have 
the  Gordian  knot  thus  conveniently  cut  for  them; 
at  all  events  they  accepted  the  resignation  of 
Thomas  on  the  day  following  its  receipt,  and  not 
only  so,  but  added  that  it  would  be  agreeable 
to  them  if  he  take  his  departure  immediately,  and 
without  waiting  to  complete  the  last  six  months 
of  his  official  year.  By  this  time  Thomas  was  as 
anxious  to  sever  his  connection  with  the  College 
as  the  Board  were  to  get  rid  of  him,  and  five 


174 

weeks  later  found  him  a  free  man  once  more,  and 
the  College  of  Music  happily  relieved  of  the 
"  white  elephant "  it  had  unwittingly  captured. 

However  welcome  the  resignation  of  Thomas 
was  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  it  came  like  a  bolt 
out  of  the  blue  to  the  students  of  the  College, 
and  many  expressions  of  affection  and  regret  came 
to  him  from  them,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
touching  example: 

CINCINNATI,  March  5,  1880. 
Dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

Pardon  me  for  addressing  you,  but  I  feel  that  you 
should  know  how  sad  the  students  of  the  College  feel  at 
the  idea  of  losing  you.  I  think  it  will  be  the  greatest  loss 
our  city  has  ever  met  with  if  you  leave  us,  and  the  College, 
in  a  musical  sense,  will  be  no  more.  .  .  .  It  is  the  students 
who  will  feel  and  know  your  loss,  for  everyone  thinks 
kindly  of  you,  and  one  single  word  of  advice  or  praise 
from  you  is  worth  more  than  a  volume  from  anyone  else. 
All  I  have  had  to  work  for  has  been  your  praise  and  com- 
mendation, and  if  that  is  taken  away  then  everything  is 
gone.  There  are  hundreds  :n  the  school  who  feel  just  as 
I  do.  .  .  .  Please  think  of  us.  Who  will  we  have  to  work 
for  when  you  are  gone?  Your  resignation  has  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  heart  of  everyone  who  knows  you. 


Meantime,  while  all  this  trouble  had  been  ful- 
minating and  exploding  at  the  College,  the  May 
Festival  of  1880  had  been  steadily  progressing 
towards  splendid  achievement.  The  chorus,  like 
every  body  of  musicians  that  ever  came  under  the 
magnetic  baton  of  Thomas,  were  his  devoted 


Mr.  Lawrence  Maxwell  of  Cincinnati 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          175 

partisans,  as  were  also  most  of  the  Festival  Board 
of  Directors.  When,  therefore,  the  College  turned 
its  back  upon  him,  the  festival  promoters  of  all 
classes  were  a  solid  phalanx  in  his  defense,  and 
lost  no  time  in  testifying  their  loyalty  by  accept- 
ing the  resignation  of  Mr.  Nichols  as  President  of 
the  Festival  Board,  and  electing  Mr.  Edmond  H. 
Pendleton  in  his  place. 

From  this  time  till  the  close  of  his  life,  Thomas 
never  had  any  unpleasant  experiences  in  Cin- 
cinnati. The  men  with  whom  he  was  henceforth  as- 
sociated there  were  in  sympathy  with  his  art  ideals 
and  worked  in  harmony  with  him  for  twenty-five 
consecutive  years,  and  together  they  achieved  the 
permanent  establishment  of  one  of  the  greatest 
art  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Alas! 
that  of  all  the  great  musical  projects  he  started 
in  Cincinnati,  it  alone  should  have  been  perfected 
as  he  had  designed.  In  speaking  of  the  men 
who  had  carried  on  the  festival  work,  many  years 
later,  Thomas  said,  "  So  long  as  a  community 
has  men  like  these  to  foster  and  promote  its 
interests,  it  need  have  no  concern  about  the 
future." 

Amongst  the  many  sincere  workers  for  the 
Festival  Association  were  two  who  deserve  more 
than  a  passing  mention:  W.  N.  Hobart  and  Law- 
rence Maxwell.  Mr.  Hobart  was  its  president 
for  many  years  and  never  did  a  president  give 
more  time,  thought,  or  devoted  service  to  an 
organization  than  he.  Mr.  Maxwell  generally 
worked  in  a  less  conspicuous  office,  but  almost 


176          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

from  the  very  inception  of  the  Association  he  was 
connected  with  it  in  one  capacity  or  another,  and 
brought  the  whole  energy  of  his  powerful  person- 
ality to  bear  upon  its  success,  guarding  its  in- 
terests with  the  tenacity  of  a  bull-dog,  and  guid- 
ing its  way  through  storm  or  calm,  with  unerring 
judgment  and  discretion.  Thomas  placed  un- 
bounded confidence  in,  not  only  the  business 
sagacity,  but  the  musical  discrimination  of  this 
famous  lawyer,  and  rarely  rejected  his  advice  in 
festival  matters — perhaps  never.  Subsequent 
events  showed  that  this  confidence  was  well 
founded,  for  after  the  death  of  Thomas,  Mr. 
Maxwell  took  up  the  work  where  he  left  it,  and 
as  president  of  the  association,  has  continued  it 
to  the  present  writing,  without  the  slightest  low- 
ering of  the  splendid  standard  which  has  always 
been  its  fundamental  characteristic. 


Photograph  by  Mr.  John   Closs,  taken  in  1894 

A  Festival  at  Cincinnati 


CHAPTER  X 

1880 

THOMAS     LEAVES     CINCINNATI EUROPEAN     TRIP RETURN 

TO    NEW     YORK IDENTIFIES    HIMSELF    WITH    THE    NEW 

YORK    PHILHARMONIC    SOCIETY FORMS    NEW    YORK    AND 

BROOKLYN  CHORAL  SOCIETIES INCEPTION  OF  NEW  YORK 

AND    CHICAGO    MUSICAL    FESTIVALS    OF    1882 HONORARY 

DEGREE     OF     DOCTOR     OF     MUSIC     CONFERRED     BY     YALE 
UNIVERSITY 

THE  May  Festival  of  1880  realized  all  that  its 
most  ardent  promoters  had  hoped  for  it,  and, 
both  in  programmes  and  performance,  surpassed 
anything  as  yet  heard  in  Cincinnati.  Like  its 
predecessors  it  was  also  financially  successful. 

And  now  Thomas  bade  adieu  to  Cincinnati  and 
returned  to  New  York  with  his  family.  No  doubt 
they  were  all  very  happy  to  be  back  in  their 
old  home  once  more — for  what  New  Yorker  is 
ever  contented  elsewhere? — but  there  was,  never- 
theless, an  element  of  sadness  and  discourage- 
ment in  their  return,  for  all  the  high  hopes  with 
which  Thomas  had  gone  West,  and  the  arduous 
labors  of  the  last  two  years  had  brought  him 
nothing  but  failure  and  disappointment,  and  he 
returned  as  poor  as  he  had  gone  away,  with  the 
old  load  of  debt  still  unpaid  and  bankruptcy  still 
staring  him  in  the  face,  and  must  once  more 
begin  life  at  the  bottom  of  the  financial  ladder. 

177 


178         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Under  these  circumstances  one  would  have  ex- 
pected him  to  start  at  once  on  the  labor  of  mend- 
ing his  shattered  fortunes,  hut  he  did  nothing  of 
the  kind.  Instead,  he  settled  his  family  pleasantly 
at  the  seashore,  arranged  a  "  nest  egg "  for  his 
future  income,  with  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn 
Philharmonic  Societies,  and  also  for  an  orchestra 
with  which  to  give  concerts  during  the  coming 
winter  season,  and,  putting  all  cares  and  anxieties 
out  of  his  mind,  went  gayly  off  to  Europe  for  a 
little  rest  and  refreshment  before  starting  anew  on 
his  struggle  with  the  problems  of  existence. 

It  was  a  fortunate  trait  of  Thomas'  character 
that  he  was  always  able  to  command  his  thoughts 
and  moods  at  will.  He  used  to  say,  "  I  live  in  the 
future  and  hardly  know  what  has  gone  before." 
In  one  sense  this  was  true,  for  although  he  had 
the  most  retentive  memory  imaginable,  he  did  not 
allow  himself  to  dwell  upon  the  past.  It  seemed 
as  if  he  kept  all  past  memories  locked  in  some 
secret  safety  deposit  from  which  they  were  only 
taken  when  needed  for  special  reference,  as  occa- 
sion required.  In  the  same  way  he  was  able  to 
banish  from  his  thoughts,  at  will,  all  the  people 
who  had  offended  or  injured  him,  and  to  cut 
them  off  from  his  life  and  consciousness  as  com- 
pletely as  if  he  had  never  known  them.  This  was 
the  only  form  of  retaliation  he  ever  indulged  in. 
No  matter  how  great  an  injury  was  done  him, 
or  how  malevolent  the  enmity  of  those  who  hated 
him,  he  never  retaliated  by  word  or  deed  beyond 
the  simple  ultimatum,  "  He  must  not  speak  to  me 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         179 

or  come  near  me  again."  This  was  all,  and  yet, 
strange  to  say,  the  people  who  were  thus  banished 
and  ignored  seemed  to  feel  it  more  bitterly  than 
if  he  had  taken  some  active  form  of  revenge,  and 
could  never  forget  or  forgive  it. 

The  short  European  trip  of  1880,  like  that  of 
fourteen  years  previous,  was  devoted  entirely  to 
hearing  musical  performances  and  meeting  mu- 
sicians. On  his  first  visit  to  Europe  Thomas  had 
gone  as  a  student,  to  learn  from  the  masters  of  his 
art  and  measure  himself  by  their  standards.  Now, 
on  the  contrary,  he  went  for  rest  and  relaxation, 
and,  a  master  himself,  he  measured  them  in  turn 
by  his  standards,  and,  it  must  be  confessed,  often 
found  them  lacking.  As  in  1867,  he  again  kept 
a  little  diary  in  which  he  noted  briefly  his  im- 
pressions of  men  and  music,  and  from  it  the  fol- 
lowing extracts  are  quoted: 

London,  June  4,  1880.  I  arrived  here  this  afternoon, 
and  in  the  evening  heard  "  Lohengrin  "  in  Her  Ma j  esty's 
Theater,  Hans  Richter  conducting.  Candidus  (Lohen- 
grin) was  good  for  a  small  theater.  Wilson,  a  milk-and- 
water  gruel.  Treneille  (Ortrude),  good.  Richter  is  a 
very  able  conductor,  but  like  all  other  European  con- 
ductors, he  does  not  drill  his  orchestra.  The  intonation 
was  poor,  tone  color,  precision,  and  phrasing  mediocre, 
and  the  whole  orchestra,  but  especially  the  wind  choir, 
seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  sostenuto.  The  chorus  was 
miserable.  And  this  is  the  best  material  in  London ! 

London,  June  7.  Orchestral  concert,  Richter  conduct- 
ing. Overture,  "  Carnaval  Roman  " ;  tempi  the  same  as 
mine.  Schubert's  Unfinished  Symphony;  tempi  faster 


180          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

than  mine.  Saint  Saens,  Concerto  No.  4;  the  composer 
at  the  piano,  he  is  a  remarkable  artist.  "  Tristan  and 
Isolde  " ;  go  ahead  and  don't  drag !  Seventh  Symphony, 
Beethoven ;  the  introduction  up  to  the  sixteenth  figure  was 
good,  after  that  everything  was  hurried.  The  first  move- 
ment, Allegretto,  was  taken  Vivace,  the  second  movement 
began  well,  but  after  the  first  statement  it  was  hurried 
and  was  a  very  mediocre  performance  in  every  respect. 
The  last  movement  was  taken  faster  than  I  play  it,  later  it 
was  simply  hurried  to  pieces.  Richter  resembles  our 
Bergmann.  He  has  the  same  talent  and  education,  but 
Bergmann  had  the  more  refined  conception. 

London,  June  8.  "  Faust,"  with  Patti  as  Marguerite. 
She  sings  like  a  bird,  enunciation  wonderful.  The  voice 
is  deeper  and  perhaps  fuller  than  when  I  last  heard  it. 

London,  June  11.  Piano  Recital  by  Charles  Halle.  He 
is  a  very  good  pianist  of  the  old  school  (Hummel). 
Madame  Norman  Neruda,  violinist,  played  with  a  beau- 
tiful, very  pure,  and  good  intonation  and  is  absolutely 
musical.  In  the  evening  a  Richter  concert  again.  "  Faust 
Symphony,"  Liszt;  tempi  stiff.  The  cymbal  player  was 
not  there,  the  programme  having  been  changed  at  the  last 
moment.  His  part  was  played  by  a  substitute.  He  came 
in  seldom  and  when  he  did  it  was  wrong!  Siegfried  Idyl, 
Wagner ;  good.  I  see  that  I  have  taken  it  too  slow.  Act 
III  "  Meistersinger  " ;  very  good.  When  Richter  conducts 
Wagner  the  performance  is  a  hundred  per  cent,  better. 
Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  3 ;  very  fast  tempi,  the  close 
very  effective. 

London,  June  17.  Sembrich,  a  young  singer,  in 
"  Lucia,"  a  light  soprano  voice,  quality  and  execution 
both  good.  On  the  14th  I  heard  the  ninth  and  last  of  the 
Richter  concerts,  which  ended  with  the  Ninth  Symphony 
of  Beethoven.  In  the  first  movement  he  took  the  tempi 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          181 

the  same  as  mine,  execution  mediocre.  The  second  move- 
ment was  very  fast,  Trio,  alia  breve.  Third  movement, 
tempi  the  same  as  mine,  execution  very  bad.  Last  move- 
ment, recitative  presto,  without  tone  or  expression,  the 
end  of  the  phrases  always  very  slow,  "  Freude  schoene 
Goetter  Fiwkeln,"  alia  breve.  The  rest  of  the  tempi 
like  mine,  but  always  with  an  inclination  to  hurry.  Rich- 
ter  does  not  seem  to  me  to  stand  on  his  own  feet,  in  spite 
of  his  undoubted  ability.  What  he  has  learned  with 
Wagner  is  fine,  but  the  rest  is  not  much  beyond  mediocrity. 
It  appears  to  me  as  if  he  himself  had  never  played  any 
stringed  instrument,  for  the  string  choir  of  his  orchestra 
played  as  it  would  without  attracting  his  attention.  No 
two  of  the  violinists  bowed  alike,  but  each  man  bowed 
as  he  pleased. 

London,  June  18.  Attended  the  rehearsal  of  the  Haen- 
del  Festival.  Very  good.  The  tone  was  what  I  have 
always  expected  it  would  be  from  a  great  mass  chorus — 
immense.  Male  voices  exquisite,  especially  the  basses. 
The  women's  voices  were  too  weak  for  a  good  balance, 
and  the  altos  were  hardly  audible.  All  the  tempi  and 
general  execution  were  satisfying  to  a  great  extent,  in 
spite  of  some  shortcomings.  It  all  flowed  so  quietly  and 
naturally,  especially  the  chorus  and  organ,  that  it  was 
highly  impressive.  The  double  choruses  from  "  Israel  in 
Egypt,"  were  splendid.  At  last  I  have  learned  the  proper 
way  to  perform  Haendel.  One  must  come  to  England  to 
understand  him.  It  would,  I  think,  be  desirable  to  have  a 
Haendel  cult  in  all  countries.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
world  which  cannot  be  criticised,  and  many  things  here 
also  need  improvement.  Nevertheless,  the  performance 
was  generally  good  enough  that  one  lost  sight  of  all 
shortcomings.  Costa  was  the  conductor — the  best  man 
for  the  place. 


182          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Here,  at  last,  I  find  a  tradition  which  realizes  my  own 
ideals.  Come  here,  ye  modern  composers,  and  learn  with 
what  simple  means  pure  music  can  be  made !  I  am  coming 
to  a  different  conception  of  things,  and  believe  that  music, 
healthy  for  the  soul,  ended  with  Beethoven.  What  good 
does  it  do  to  double  intervals  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
original  character  is  lost?  And  the  modern  harmonies 
and  harmonic  resolutions,  which  begin  with  the  chord  of 
the  Ninth,  and  end  with  the  chord  of  the  Twenty-fifth,  but 
always  without  foundation !  What  is  the  worth  of  a 
building,  however  richly  ornamented,  without  a  founda- 
tion? Is  not  one  fresh,  healthy  kernel  worth  a  long 
unwholesome  menu? 

Received  word  from  Saint  Saens,  asking  when  he  could 
call  upon  me.  In  the  evening  I  again  saw  "  Faust,"  from 
a  big  comfortable  box,  sent  me  by  Mapleson.  It  was  a 
mish-mash.  The  soprano  I  always  detested,  and  the  tenor 
sang  as  if  he  had  a  hot  potato  in  his  mouth,  but  he  had 
a  good  voice.  Arditi  conducted.  He  tried  to  make  a 
great  many  holes  in  the  air.  I  looked  at  it  as  one  would 
look  at  a  Punch  and  Judy  show.  Impossible  for  me  to 
stay  through  the  performance. 

London,  June  19.  Attended  the  concert  of  Mans,  at 
the  Crystal  Palace.  Thalberg  soloist.  Orchestra  com- 
posed of  good  material. 

London,  June  21.  Received  two  season  tickets  for  the 
Haendel  Festival  with  the  compliments  of  the  Directors. 
Attended  the  performance  of  the  "  Messiah,"  but  was 
much  disappointed,  after  what  I  had  heard  at  the  re- 
hearsal. The  chorus  was  better  balanced — probably  they 
were  not  all  present  at  the  rehearsal — the  women's  voices 
were  stronger,  and  the  altos  were  supported  by  a  hundred 
high  tenors,  which  gave  the  part  force  and  power,  but 
at  the  expense  of  tone-quality.  The  performance  as  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          183 

whole  was  slipshod.  The  chorus  did  not  mind  the  con- 
ductor, and  he  in  turn  took  no  notice  of  them.  But  they 
all  know  their  parts  so  well  that  they  could  not  get  out, 
even  when,  as  often  happened,  they  were  a  quarter  of  a 
beat  apart!  All  the  principal  choruses  were  accompanied 
by  the  bass  drum  and  cymbals. 

London,  June  22.  A  memorable  day  for  me.  During 
breakfast  a  Mr.  Campbell,  whom  I  once  met  in  Boston, 
called  on  me  with  a  direct  offer  from  the  London  Philhar- 
monic Society.  He  wished  to  know  if  I  would  be  willing 
to  come  to  London  and  take  the  conductorship  of  the 
Philharmonic  orchestra.  I  have  made  an  appointment 
for  to-morrow  to  lunch  with  some  of  the  directors,  and 
also  some  of  the  musicians.  Campbell  tells  me  that  Lon- 
don needs  a  man  to  take  charge  of  musical  affairs  in 
general,  and  that  if  I  will  take  the  position  it  is  mine.  It 
seems  that  he  went  several  times,  in  Boston  and  New  York, 
two  years  ago,  to  hear  my  conducting  of  such  works  as 
the  "  Faust  Symphony  "  of  Liszt. 

London,  June  23.  I  dined  with  Mr.  Campbell  as  ar- 
ranged, and  met  several  of  the  Philharmonic  Directors 
and  others.  A  very  pleasant  occasion,  and  we  talked  a 
good  deal  about  the  Philharmonic  offer.  It  certainly  looks 
like  a  good  opening  for  me. 

Weimar,  June  29.  I  arrived  here  at  seven  this  even- 
ing, went  at  once  to  the  Hotel  Erdprinzen,  and  after- 
wards sent  my  card  to  Liszt.  To-morrow  Zinzer  will  join 
me  and  we  will  go  to  Leipsig  together. 

So  this  is  Weimar!  Here  I  think  one  must  have  to 
die  of  good  health !  It  is  very  nice,  but  a  little  too  quiet 
for  me,  and  does  not  come  up  to  my  expectations.  Now 
I  am  really  in  Germany — but,  oh,  how  far  I  am  from 
home!  Yes,  here  one  can  compose.  If  I  lived  here,  I 
believe  I  should  compose  also. 


184          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Weimar,  June  30.  A  memorable  day.  Liszt  received 
me  in  his  private  room,  and  alone.  At  first  I  instinctively 
looked  up  to  meet  his  eye,  and  could  hardly  believe  my  own 
when  I  found  myself  as  tall  as  he — perhaps  a  half  an 
inch  difference!  His  geniality  was  beyond  all  expression, 
and  this  meeting  with  him  was,  in  itself,  worth  the  jour- 
ney from  New  York. 

I  meant  to  have  taken  my  leave  after  a  short  call,  but 
Liszt  persuaded  me  to  stay,  and  urgently  requested  me 
to  remain  during  the  evening  and  meet  the  Grand  Duke 
of  Weimar,  and  a  party  of  about  twelve  others.  But  I 
did  not  accept  the  invitation,  although  Liszt  was  good 
enough  to  include  also  my  friend  Zinzer.  No,  there  is  no 
use  to  stay  here  and  listen  to  the  piano-klinking  of  pu- 
pils, for  probably  Liszt  would  not  play  himself.  Besides, 
I  do  not  want  to  have  the  impression  he  made  on  me  this 
morning  spoiled.  He  was  too  courteous  for  me  to  feel 
that  I  could  ask  him  to  play  if  he  did  not  offer1  to  do  so, 
for  I  think  he  would  have  played  without  my  asking  him 
if  he  had  been  in  the  mood. 

After  my  call,  he  accompanied  me  not  only  downstairs 
but  even  through  the  garden  by  a  private  way,  to  my 
hotel.  I  smoked  a  light  German  cigar  which  he  gave  me, 
remarking,  "  Beckstein  always  sends  me  cigars ;  I  do  not 
smoke  Havana  cigars  because  they  are  too  expensive." 
As  we  walked  to  the  hotel  it  began  to  rain  and  I  expected 
to  see  Liszt  turn  back,  but  he  continued  to  walk  with 
me,  unconscious  of  the  storm.  "  You  do  not  seem  to 
mind  the  weather,"  I  exclaimed.  Liszt  laughed  and  re- 
plied, "  I  never  take  notice  of  that  which  takes  no  notice 
of  me!" 

Now  I  am  very  glad  to  have  seen  the  giant,  for  the 
world  looks  so  much  the  smaller  to  me. 

Leipsig,  July  1.     This  morning  a  pleasant  visit  with 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


185 


Raff,  who  was  very  courteous  to  me,  and  cordial.  He  in- 
troduced me  to  his  wife  and  they  are  to  dine  with  me 
to-night. 

Berlin,  July  4.  This  morning,  at  the  invitation  of 
Joachim,  I  went  to  his  house  to  hear  his  famous  String 
Quartette  in  Chamber  music,  and  had  a  very  interesting 
experience.  They  played  for  me  three  of  the  Schumann 
Quartettes,  and  Joachim  showed  me  the  original  manu- 
scripts. Many  changes  had  been  made  in  them  by  Schu- 
mann himself — very  interesting. 

The  Trio  from  the  Scherzo  of  the  First  Quartette  has 
to  be  played  much  faster  than  the  metronome  indicates, 
and  at  the  same  time  faster  than  the  Scherzo  proper. 
This  passage, 


must  be  played  staccato,  in  one  bow,  by  all  the  instru- 
ments. The  second  Quartette  starts  with  a  stringendo. 
The  introduction  to  the  first  Quartette, 

tr 


Jic-g 


£ 


has  to  be  played,  according  to  Schumann's  own  directions, 
with  a  separate  bow  for  each  note.  The  same  rule  refers 
to  the  variations.  The  tempi  in  general  are  fast.  The 
third  Quartette,  Joachim  took  in  the  same  tempi  as  mine, 
except,  perhaps,  the  last  movement,  which  he  took  a  little 
faster.  I  think  the  movement  loses  thereby  a  little  of 
its  effectiveness.  In  the  first  and  second  Quartettes  his 
tempi  were  the  same  as  mine,  except  in  the  last  move- 
ments, which  here  were  a  little  slower.  Joachim  plays 
everything  with  a  very  supple  bow. 


186          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Berlin,  July  11.  Visited  the  Conservatory,  where  I 
heard  an  examination  which  took  place  at  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  Odeon  Hall.  Later  Levi  invited  me  to  luncheon. 
In  the  evening  I  heard  "  Tristan  and  Isolde  " — disap- 
pointed— I  do  not  believe  this  music  will  ever  be  popular. 

Berlin,  July  15.  Heard  Mozart's  "  Magic  Flute."  The 
scenery  was  extra  fine,  orchestra  mediocre,  and  the  singers 
bad.  I  do  not  believe  that  opera  with  German  singers 
would  be  a  possibility  in  New  York.  The  only  chance  of 
success  for  good  operatic  performances  in  America  would 
be  opera  with  American  singers,  it  seems  to  me. 

Berlin,  July  23.  I  have  heard,  since  the  last  entry,  the 
"  Nibelungen,"  "  Meistersinger,"  and  "  Tannhaeuser." 
Splendid  scenery  and  poor  performances  as  usual.  Also 
"  Aida  " ;  in  the  last  named  the  orchestra  was  good  again. 
I  have  engaged  my  passage  for  home  on  the  31st. 

As  may  be  gathered  from  the  foregoing  ex- 
tracts from  his  journal,  Thomas  had  many  pleas- 
ant experiences  during  this  short  European  so- 
journ. And  although  he  criticised  sharply  the 
inferior  technical  standards  of  European  orches- 
tral and  operatic  performances,  he  was,  neverthe- 
less, always  keenly  on  the  watch  for  any  hints  or 
suggestions  which  seemed  authoritative  enough  to 
either  correct  or  confirm  his  own  interpretations. 
In  America  his  professional  life  was  such  an 
isolated  one  that  it  was  a  rare  treat  for  him  to 
come  into  close  personal  touch  with  the  master- 
minds of  his  art,  especially  Liszt,  Joachim,  Saint- 
Saens,  and  others.  Wagner  he  was  to  have  met 
in  Weimar,  but  something  interfered,  and  before 
Thomas  made  another  visit  to  Europe  Wagner 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          187 

died.  Perhaps,  however,  it  was  just  as  well  that 
they  did  not  meet  personally,  for  Thomas  never 
quite  forgave  Wagner  for  his  action  in  regard  to 
the  Centennial  March,  and  did  not  feel  very  cor- 
dially towards  him,  though  he  recognized  him  as 
the  greatest  musical  genius  of  his  day,  and  for 
many  years  rarely  gave  a  concert  without  playing 
some  of  his  music  on  the  programme. 

The  offer  of  the  London  Philharmonic  Society, 
coming  as  it  did  at  the  moment  when  Thomas  had 
been  so  little  appreciated  or  understood  in  the 
Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  was  dazzling.  Writ- 
ing about  it  to  his  friend,  Lawrence  Maxwell,  he 
said: 

"  This  morning  the  conductorship  of  the  London  Phil- 
harmonic Society  was  offered  to  me.  I  have  a  meeting 
with  the  Directors  to-morrow,  and  also  with  others  re- 
garding choral  work.  In  plain  words,  the  most  influential 
musicians  of  London  offer  me  everything — Philharmonic 
concerts  and  Costa's  work  besides,  for  they  tell  me  he  is 
too  old,  and  must  give  up.  It  seems  curious  that  this 
should  come  to  me  just  now,  but  there  are  a  few  men  here 
who  know  me  from  my  Boston  work,  and  this  thing  seems 
to  have  been  decided  upon  ever  since  I  left  New  York  for 
Cincinnati.  What  will  come  of  it  I  do  not  know  yet; 
it  is  too  new  to  me.  I  do  not  want  to  leave  America — at 
the  same  time,  if  you  could  see  how  grateful  the  British 
people  are  for  good  music,  and  how  enthusiastic,  you  would 
certainly  think  it  worth  my  consideration." 

In  the  end  Thomas  refused  this  brilliant  offer, 
although  it  must  have  cost  him  a  hard  sacrifice  to 
do  so.  But  two  strong  influences  drew  him  back 


188          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  America.  The  first  was  patriotism  towards  the 
land  of  his  adoption,  and  the  desire  to  complete  the 
work  he  had  been  identified  with  there  for  so 
many  years.  The  second,  his  unalterable  deter- 
mination to  pay  his  heavy  burden  of  debt,  for  in 
those  days  European  conductors  did  not  make  the 
large  incomes  they  now  command,  and  this  he 
could  only  hope  to  accomplish  by  remaining  in  this 
country.  So  he  renounced  the  temptation  and 
turned  his  face  resolutely  toward  America  once 
more,  and,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  his  outlook 
was  so  uncertain,  both  artistically  and  financially, 
he  was  apparently  as  cheerful  and  as  confident  of 
success  as  if  he  had  never  known  the  meaning  of 
the  word  failure  in  his  life! 

His  many  old  friends  in  New  York  gave  him  a 
royal  welcome  on  his  arrival,  and  offers  of 
concert  engagements  poured  in  upon  him  from 
all  sides.  Hardly  had  he  landed  from  the  steamer 
when  he  was  called  upon  by  the  usual  host  of 
newspaper  reporters,  and  amongst  them  one  from 
the  Herald,  who  found  him  in  such  a  genial 
mood  and  reported  what  he  said  so  admirably, 
that  I  cannot  give  a  better  sketch  of  the  Thomas 
of  that  day,  of  his  plans  for  the  future,  and  his 
critical  estimates  of  musical  matters  in  Europe 
and  America  than  by  quoting  from  his  article  as 
follows : 

"  And  so,  Mr.  Thomas,  you  are  back  in  New  York,"  the 
interview  began.  "  Are  you  going  to  make  your  home 
here  again  ?  " 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          189 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  earnestly,  and  in  a  very  cheery, 
pleasant  tone.  "  Yes,  I  intend  to  make  New  York  my 
home  after  this.  I  have  been  about  the  world  somewhat, 
with  varying  experiences,  pleasant  and  otherwise.  New 
York  was  long  my  home  and  I  believe  that  there  is  no 
place  like  home  after  all.  The  place,  the  people,  the 
associations  are  all  congenial,  and  here  I  desire  to  stay. 
For  years  I  have  labored  here  in  the  cause  of  musical 
art — many,  many  years — and  have  seen  growing  under 
my  hands,  and  those  of  others  interested  in  the  like  work, 
the  result  of  our  patient  toil.  Ah!  very  few  can  realize 
what  the  struggle  of  twenty  years  ago  was.  Then  the 
people  here  knew  little  about  classic  music,  and  the  pres- 
entation of  programmes  of  the  best  class  met  with  little 
or  no  recognition.  It  was  disheartening  work  to  play 
again  and  again  before  small,  unappreciative  audiences, 
who  seemed  to  care  nothing  for  the  end  we  had  in  view, 
and  who  little  knew  the  privations  we  were  subjected  to 
in  order  to  keep  together  the  band  of  musicians  we  had 
gathered  here.  But  the  awakening  came  at  last,  if  slowly, 
and  to-day,  from  small  beginnings,  the  musical  public  of 
New  York  has  grown  to  grand  proportions,  and  its  sense 
of  critical  judgment  has  become  so  keen  that  this  city 
stands  now  prominently,  if  not  first,  among  the  musical 
cities  of  the  world.  There  is  a  great  future  here  in 
art." 

"  There  is  a  report  here,  Mr.  Thomas,  that  you  have 
been  engaged  to  give  concerts  at  Barnum's  Museum,  in 
its  new  building ;  is  this  so  ?  "  said  the  reporter. 

"  Oh,  dear,  no ! "  replied  the  musician.  "  I  did  not 
conclude  any  business  arrangements  of  any  kind  while  I 
was  in  Europe,  although  it  is  true  that  Mr.  Barnum's 
representative  did  write  to  me  in  regard  to  such  an  en- 
gagement. What  did  I  think  of  it?  Well,  leaving  myself 


190          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

out  of  the  question,  and  looking  at  the  matter  as  a  mere 
musical  and  business  proposition,  I  do  not  think  it  is  a 
bad  one.  It  would  depend  altogether  upon  how  much 
music  and  how  much  museum  were  to  be  combined.  I 
understand  that  there  is  to  be  on  the  top  floor  of  the  new 
building  an  immense  tropical  garden  under  a  glass  roof, 
with  a  horticultural  display  of  great  beauty  and  elegance. 
In  such  surroundings  I  can  well  understand  the  success 
of  a  series  of  concerts  of  a  high  standard.  But  on  the 
ground  floor  of  the  building  there  are  to  be  giants, 
dwarfs,  Circassian  beauties,  and  roaring  lions.  Here  a 
programme  of  classic  music  would  be  decidedly  out  of 
place.  The  serious  question  is  how  near  to  the  tropical 
garden,  and  how  far  from  the  roaring  lions,  would  the 
band  be?  And  would  we  be  classed  as  a  cage  of  wild  ani- 
mals or  a  flower  show?  Seriously,  however,  as  I  have 
said,  the  scheme  might  be  practical  if  the  concerts  were 
kept  entirely  distinct  from  the  show,  and  only  the  highest 
class  of  performances  given." 

"  While  you  were  in  Europe,  Mr.  Thomas,  you  no 
doubt  heard  a  number  of  the  famous  artists  and  musical 
organizations  of  the  day,"  continued  the  reporter.  "  Will 
you  tell  me  how  you  think  our  season  and  our  musical 
culture  compares  with  that  of  London?  " 

"  I  was  amazed  to  find,  after  my  long  absence  from 
Europe,"  replied  Thomas,  "  that  now  we  are  really  a  long 
way  ahead  of  London  in  the  matter  of  critical  judgment, 
as  well  as  in  performance.  Our  programmes  are  better, 
our  musicians  play  better,  and  our  people — I  speak  of 
New  York  and  Boston  especially — listen  more  intelli- 
gently. The  enthusiasm  of  the  English  audience  carries 
away  its  judgment  completely.  I  have  seen  an  audience 
applaud  wildly  a  crude  performance  of  a  familiar  selec- 
tion as  though  its  rendering  had  been  perfection.  .  .  . 


191 

As  for  novelties,  they  are  equally  far  behind,  and  I  have 
seen  advertised  as  *  novelties  '  there  compositions  which 
were  actually  hackneyed  here.  It  is  extraordinary  that 
so  great  a  metropolis  should  be  so  far  behind  the  times. 
.  .  .  In  Paris  I  saw  *  Aida,'  at  the  Grand  Opera  House, 
with  the  most  sumptuous  mounting,  and  was  delighted 
with  the  superb  orchestra,  the  playing  of  which  was  mar- 
velously  good.  In  Munich  I  attended  various  perform- 
ances of  opera.  I  can  best  characterize  the  artistic  stand- 
ard there  by  saying  that  the  stage-setting  seemed  to  be 
considered  first,  then  the  orchestra,  and  last  the  singers. 
,.-  r*>  .  Of  the  great  artists  I  heard,  I  was  most  impressed 
by  Joachim  and  Saint  Saens — the  latter  is  a  giant  amongst 
pianists.  But  the  most  delightful  hours  of  all  my  days, 
on  this  pleasant  trip,  were  those  I  spent  with  Liszt.  I 
stopped  for  a  day  in  Weimar,  and  sent  my  card  to  Liszt, 
who  at  once  sent  me,  in  return,  a  kindly  message  of  wel- 
come, and  begged  me  to  come  to  him  that  afternoon.  I 
did  so  and  was  most  cordially  received  by  the  great  mas- 
ter, who  at  once  put  me  at  my  ease,  and,  laying  aside 
all  formality,  spoke  as  though  we  were  old  friends  rather 
than  new  acquaintances.  Two  things  struck  me  about 
Liszt — his  exceeding  modesty  in  referring  to  himself  when 
our  conversation  turned  on  his  place  on  our  American  pro- 
grammes, and  his  assertion  that  he  was  growing  old,  and 
that  the  world  would  receive  no  further  compositions  from 
his  pen.  These  struck  me  forcibly  because  one  would 
have  excused  even  egotism  from  a  man  so  surrounded  all 
his  life  with  devoted  admirers  as  Liszt,  and,  in  regard  to 
the  second  remark,  because  the  vigorous  old  man  seemed  to 
be  in  his  mental  prime.  I  do  not  remember  his  exact 
words,  but  he  spoke  very  quietly  to  this  effect :  *  You  are 
all  very  kind  to  me  in  America,  you  place  me  too  often 
on  your  programmes, — I  do  not  look  so  old,  but  I  feel 


192 

very,  very  old,  I  shall  write  no  more.     My  pen  is  tired 
and  I  have  done.'  " 

The  only  definite  engagements  which  Thomas 
had  in  prospect  for  the  winter  season  of  1880-81, 
when  he  started  for  Europe,  were  those  with  the 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Societies. 
He  had  been  elected  the  conductor  of  the  former 
in  May,  and  in  view  of  his  contemplated  return 
to  New  York,  he  had  decided  to  identify  himself 
wholly  with  the  Society,  believing  that  the  cause 
of  music  would  be  better  served  if  the  chief 
authority  were  vested  in  an  association  of  the 
reputation  and  influence  of  the  Philharmonic,  than 
in  himself  alone.  Upon  receiving  notification  of 
his  re-election  as  conductor  of  the  society,  there- 
fore, he  had  sent  the  Directors  the  following  letter : 

NEW  YORK,  May  8,  1880. 

To  THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  PHILHARMONIC 
SOCIETY. 

Gentlemen: 

It  is  my  intention  to  identify  myself  with  the  Philhar- 
monic Society  altogether.  I  am  also  willing  to  say  to  the 
Board  that  I  do  not  mean  to  give  a  series  of  Symphony 
Concerts  myself  in  New  York  this  year.  I  am  not  ready  to 
make  this  statement  to  the  society  at  large  for  the  reason 
that  I  do  not  wish  to  have  my  plans  for1  the  coming  year 
known  and  discussed  as  yet.  I  shall  give  lighter  concerts 
with  a  symphony,  perhaps,  but  not  a  regular  series  of 
Symphony  Concerts  which  could  have  any  influence  on  the 
Philharmonic  series. 

Now  then,  I  must  live,  and  the  basis  of  my  income  must 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          193 

be  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  concerts.  I 
repeat  that  I  am  willing  to  identify  myself  with  the  New 
York  Philharmonic1  Society,  and  as  I  shall  have  to  live  in 
New  York  again,  I  can  accept  the  position  of  conductor 
without  any  guarantee,  but  I  do  not  think  that  twenty 
shares  are  too  much  to  ask  for  my  services  under  the 
circumstances. 

Yours  very  truly, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Hitherto  Thomas  had  received  as  his  remunera- 
tion from  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society 
ten  shares  of  stock,  and  a  sufficient  additional  sum 
to  bring  his  salary  up  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
But  he  now  felt  that  his  services  were  worth  a 
larger  sum,  and  decided  that  the  two  Philharmonic 
Societies  could  each  afford  to  give  him  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  In  Brooklyn  this 
salary  was  paid  as  such,  but  the  New  York  Phil- 
harmonic was  differently  organized,  and  in  asking 
for  twenty  shares,  Thomas  named  the  number 
which  he  calculated  would  yield  him  about  that 
amount  in  dividends,  but  in  doing  so  he  released 
the  society  from  any  obligation  to  make  good  any 
deficit  in  the  amount  should  it  fall  short  of  the 
expected  sum. 

The  Directors  readily  agreed  to  this,  but  neither 
they  nor  Thomas  realized  how  valuable  his  work 
for  the  Society  was  to  become,  financially,  as  well 
as  artistically.  During  the  first  two  years  of  his 
leadership  the  dividends  went  up  from  eighteen 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  dollars  a  share. 
After  that  they  often  reached,  and  even  passed  the 


194         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

two  hundred  dollar  mark.  But,  although  his 
twenty  shares  thus  yielded  him  a  far  larger  sum 
than  he  had  expected,  he  accepted  only  the 
twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  which  his  contract 
had  been  originally  intended  to  provide,  and,  year 
after  year,  returned  into  the  treasury  of  the  so- 
ciety, whatever  surplus  his  shares  paid  him  over 
and  above  that  amount,  as  long  as  he  continued 
to  be  its  conductor. 

Artistically  the  Philharmonic  benefited  by  its 
association  with  Thomas  even  more  than  finan- 
cially. He  not  only  made  its  concerts  the  chief 
musical  events  of  the  New  York  season,  but  he 
drew  from  its  ranks  his  private  orchestra,  hence 
the  greater  part  of  its  members  were  assured  of 
constant  engagements  at  the  largest  current 
salaries,  and  as  it  thus  came  under  the  exclusive 
leadership  of  Thomas  all  the  year  around,  it  soon 
became  the  most  perfect  orchestra  America  had 
ever  had.  In  short,  he  carried  out  his  promise  of 
identifying  himself  with  the  society  so  thoroughly 
that  it  was  hard  to  say  whether  the  Philharmonic 
had  annexed  him,  or  he  had  annexed  the  Phil- 
harmonic. At  all  events  they  worked  together, 
and  for  the  most  part  harmoniously,  as  long  as 
Thomas  continued  to  live  in  New  York,  and  had 
this  distinguished  band  of  musicians  had  as  much 
money  as  they  had  artistic  ability,  he  would  never 
again  have  had  to  leave  his  home.  On  his  side 
Thomas  thoroughly  appreciated  the  loyal  friend- 
ship its  members  extended  to  him.  He  was  affec- 
tionately known  amongst  them  as  "  The  Old 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          195 

Man,"  long  before  he  had  even  begun  to  grow  old, 
and  if  his  autocratic  ways  occasionally  aroused 
some  protest  from  objecting  members,  they  always 
ended  by  letting  him  do  as  he  pleased,  and  they 
never  had  any  serious  differences  of  opinion. 

Having  thus  satisfactorily  provided  an  orchestra 
for  future  use,  Thomas'  next  step  was  to  organize 
a  chorus.  It  is  probable  that  he  planned  to  or- 
ganize in  New  York  regular  biennial  musical 
festivals,  similar  to  those  of  Cincinnati,  for  he 
had  already  started  a  chorus  in  Brooklyn,  and  now 
he  did  the  same  in  New  York.  Each  chorus 
numbered  about  two  hundred  singers,  and  was 
trained  to  the  very  highest  point  of  efficiency.  It 
was  his  intention  to  utilize  the  two  choruses 
separately  in  orchestral  concerts  in  their  own  cities, 
for  such  works  as  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony, 
Brahms'  Requiem,  etc.,  and  to  combine  them 
occasionally  in  very  large  choral  concerts.  With 
a  body  of  four  hundred  highly  trained  singers  as 
a  nucleus,  a  festival  chorus  of  any  dimensions 
could,  he  knew,  be  created  almost  without  effort, 
by  simply  inviting  the  co-operation  of  the  requisite 
number  of  outside  singing  societies  on  any  given 
occasion. 

When  asked  what  were  the  difficulties  of  train- 
ing a  chorus,  and  what  compensation  he  made 
his  singers  for  all  their  time  and  trouble,  he 
replied: 

"  I  think  there  is  no  difficulty  in  training  a  chorus  if 
the  leader  is  careful  to  develop  the  intelligence  of  the 


196         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

singers.  It  has  been  an  old  custom  to  treat  a  chorus  of 
singers  like  a  body  of  children,  telling  them  simply  to 
do  so  and  so,  or  repeat  a  phrase  as  directed,  as  if  they 
were  so  many  bullfinches  to  whom  a  tune  was  whistled. 
What  can  you  expect  from  that  kind  of  training?  Treat 
them  like  bullfinches  and  they  will  be  little  more  than  a 
body  of  those  imitators  of  airs.  But  if  you  appeal  to 
their  intelligence,  force  them  to  read  their  music  and  to 
think  it  out;  directing,  not  dragging  them  in  the  right 
direction;  promptly  correcting,  but  intelligently  explain- 
ing their  errors,  you  will  have,  at  last,  a  thoughtful,  ac- 
complished body  of  singers,  who  comprehend  what  they 
undertake  and  succeed  in  its  accomplishment.  Treat  them 
like  musicians  and  they  will  become  musicians.  Music 
should  be  to  the  vocalist  what  painting  is  to  the  artist, 
the  score  should  be  his  brush  and  pigments.  Let  these 
vocal  painters  once  understand  that  you  expect  them  to 
think  out  their  musical  pictures  and  they  will  astonish  you 
with  the  breadth  and  truth  of  their  imagination. 

"  As  for  the  matter  of  compensation,  they  receive  only 
that  of  all  such  volunteer  work  in  the  cause  of  art.  Bach, 
Beethoven,  and  other  masters  whose  music  we  study,  have 
given  their  whole  souls  to  these  compositions.  To  the 
chorus-worker  the  earnest  study  of  these  grand  creations 
opens  a  new  world  of  musical  thought ;  their  whole  musical 
outlook  is  made  interesting  by  a  fuller  knowledge  and 
more  complete  comprehension  of  the  beauties  existing  in 
these  oft-repeated  works  of  the  old  masters.  To  the  in- 
tellectually active  man  or  woman  this  work  affords  recrea- 
tion, and  even  the  humblest  member  of  the  chorus  takes 
a  profound  pleasure  in  the  grand  result  in  which  he  was 
an  assistant,  and  feels  that  he  has  been  fully  compensated 
by  the  higher  cultivation  of  his  musical  intelligence  and 
the  development  of  his  vocal  talents." 


197 

Thomas  was  not  without  substantial  reasons  for 
hoping  to  establish  a  Festival  Association  in  New 
York,  for  a  number  of  prominent  New  York  men 
had  attended  the  Cincinnati  Festival  of  1880,  and 
on  their  return  had  entered  into  negotiations  with 
him  to  conduct  a  Festival  of  similar  character,  but 
even  larger  dimensions,  in  May,  1882.  By  the 
time  he  had  returned  from  Europe,  this  associa- 
tion was  thoroughly  organized.  It  consisted  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-three  men,  most  of  them 
wealthy,  and  all  lovers  of  music.  The  officers 
were  as  follows: 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS,  President. 
CYRUS  W.  FIELD,  First  Vice-President. 
HENRY  G.   MARQUAND,  Second   V ice-President. 
DANIEL  LORD,  JR.,  Secretary. 
JOSEPH  W.  DREXEL,  Treasurer. 

As  the  preparations  for  this  and  the  Cincinnati 
Festival  advanced,  the  people  of  Chicago  also 
became  interested,  and  formed  an  association  to 
give  one  in  their  city,  under  Thomas'  direction, 
during  the  same  month  as  the  other  two.  The 
three  festivals  were  to  follow  each  other,  and  were 
to  consist  of  seven  concerts  each.  The  same  or- 
chestra and  soloists  were  to  be  engaged  for  all, 
but  as  no  two  of  the  twenty-one  programmes  were 
duplicates,  the  detail  work  of  preparing  them  was 
enormous,  especially  as  Thomas  had  to  visit  and 
personally  rehearse  with  the  choruses  of  Chicago 
and  Cincinnati  from  time  to  time,  as  well  as  with 
those  at  home. 


198          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

In  addition  to  the  work  already  enumerated, 
for  the  Philharmonic,  Choral,  and  May  Festival 
Associations,  Thomas  gave  a  long  series  of  nightly 
popular  concerts  in  Metropolitan  Hall,  from  Octo- 
ber 13  to  December  7,  and  all  this  kept  him  so 
busy  that  he  found  no  time  to  travel  over  his  old 
"  Highway "  during  this  winter. 

In  closing  the  record  of  this  eventful  year  I 
must  not  omit  to  mention  an  honor  conferred  upon 
him  by  Yale  University,  and  which  was  officially 
announced  to  him  in  the  following  letter: 

YALE  UNIVERSITY,  NEW  HAVEN,  CONN., 

September  27,  1880. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ. 
Dear  Sir: 

It  is  my  duty  to  inform  you  officially  of  the  action  of 
the  President  and  Fellows  of  Yale  College  at  the  recent 
Commencement,  in  conferring  upon  you  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Music,  by  way  of  recognition  of  the 
substantial  service  which  you  have  rendered  to  musical 
culture  in  the  United  States. 

The  diploma  certifying  to  this  degree  is  sent  by  mail 
herewith  and  I  must  apologize  for  the  long  delay  in  for- 
warding it,  owing  to  my  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  you 
had  returned  from  Europe. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

FRANKLIN  B.  DEXTER,  Secretary. 

Of  the  many  honors  of  which  he  was  the  recipient 
during  his  long  career,  none  were  more  acceptable 
to  Thomas  than  the  degrees  conferred  upon  him 


199 

by  several  universities,  and  yet,  strange  to  say, 
he  never  used  his  Doctor's  title,  for  he  considered 
it  out  of  keeping  for  a  plain  American  citizen  to 
ape  the  customs  of  the  old  world  by  prefixing  a 
title  of  any  kind  to  his  name. 


CHAPTER  XI 
1881 

THOMAS  AS  A  CHORUS  CONDUCTOR SYMPHONY  PRO- 
GRAMMES WITH  CHORAL  SOCIETIES CRITICAL  DESCRIP- 
TION OF  THE  DEBUT  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  AND  BROOKLYN 

CHORUSES THOMAS  BEGINS  LOCAL  WORK  IN  CHICAGO 

A  SMALL  AUDIENCE   ON   A   STORMY   NIGHT THE    FOUND- 
ING   OF    THE    BOSTON     SYMPHONY    ORCHESTRA THOMAS 

LOSES  BOSTON  AS  A  CITY  OF  THE  "  HIGHWAY" 

THE  year  1881  was  a  very  busy  one  for  Thomas, 
and  every  moment  was  occupied  with  the  train- 
ing of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  choruses; 
with  the  Philharmonic  concerts,  the  Symphony 
Concerts  in  Orange,  Boston,  and  other  cities,  and, 
finally,  with  the  preparatory  work  of  the  three 
great  musical  festivals  to  be  given  in  New  York, 
Cincinnati,  and  Chicago,  in  May,  1882. 

The  new  chorus  societies  of  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  made  their  debut  at  the  Philharmonic 
concert  of  February  14,  and  the  following  vivid 
description  of  the  performance  is  quoted  from  a 
long  article  about  it  which  appeared  in  the  New 
York  Tribune  the  next  day: 

"  An  audience,  such  as  crowded  the  Academy  of  Music 
last  night,  on  the  occasion  of  the  fourth  Philharmonic 
Concert,  has  not  been  seen  there  for  many  a  long  day. 
.  .  .  Certainly  the  concert  was  worthy  of  it,  for  it  was 

200 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          201 

one  of  those  performances  of  which  one  hears  but  two  or 
three  in  a  lifetime,  and  the  memory  of  which  stays  long 
to  brighten  and  cheer  amidst  all  the  dull  mass  of  medi- 
ocrity to  which  one  is  so  often  condemned.  .  .  .  The 
programme  consisted  of  only  two  numbers,  Bach's  Can- 
tata, *  A  Stronghold  Sure,'  adapted  for  performance  by 
Theodore  Thomas,  and  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony.  In 
the  form  in  which  the  Cantata  has  come  down  to  us  from 
Bach,  the  accompaniments  are  very  incomplete.  Three  of 
the  numbers  have  only  a  figured  bass  to  indicate  what 
they  should  be,  and  in  no  case  are  anything  like  the  full 
parts  for  even  the  small  orchestra  which  Bach  employed 
to  be  found.  The  work  which  Mr.  Thomas  had  to  do  to 
fit  the  composition  for  performance  in  the  modern  concert 
room,  included  not  only  the  entire  reconstruction  of  Bach's 
score,  as  nearly  as  possible  in  its  original  form,  but  the 
still  further  task  of  adapting  this  score  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  greatly  increased  resources  of  the  modern 
orchestra,  while  at  the  same  time  religiously  preserving  the 
spirit  of  the  original.  It  was  a  task  requiring  the  utmost 
tact  and  delicacy,  and  demanding  thorough  musicianship 
and  the  completest  and  most  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
character  and  powers  of  the  orchestra.  Some  of  the  in- 
struments for  which  Bach  wrote  are  now  obsolete.  The 
part  for  the  organ,  which  was  either  not  indicated  at  all, 
or  only  in  the  most  meager  way,  and  which  Bach  was 
accustomed  to  supply  himself,  ad  libitum,  had  to  be  sup- 
plied and  transferred  to  the  orchestra.  Finally,  the  in- 
creased band  and  a  host  of  new  instruments  had  to  be 
utilised,  without  sacrificing  in  any  way  the  spirit  of 
Bach's  music,  to  fit  the  work  for  performance  by  a  large 
body  of  singers  and  instrumentalists.  This  difficult  and 
delicate  task  Mr.  Thomas  has  accomplished  with  signal 
success.  Great  as  are  the  changes  which  he  was  obliged 


202          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  make,  there  is  not  in  the  entire  work  a  single  effect 
which  is  not  indicated  in  the  original  score,  a  single  phrase 
which  is  not  wholly  characteristic  of  Bach,  or  a  single 
passage  in  which  the  pure  flavor  of  the  original  is  not 
preserved  with  the  utmost  fidelity.  It  is  a  triumph  of 
technical  skill,  pure  taste,  and  entire  sympathy  with  the 
spirit  of  the  composer. 

"  As  for  the  performance,  both  of  the  Cantata  and  the 
Ninth  Symphony,  it  is  difficult  to  speak  coolly,  or  convey 
any  adequate  sense  of  its  marvelous  perfection  and  beauty 
without  employing  expressions  which,  while  they  would 
be  strictly  within  the  truth,  would  sound  like  exaggerated 
and  extravagant  praise.  .  .  .  The  new  chorus,  which  Mr. 
Thomas  has  been  training  for  the  last  four  months,  proved 
a  veritable  revelation,  and  gave  startling  testimony  to 
what  judgment  and  training  can  accomplish  in  a  very 
short  time,  with  green  singers.  They  sang  with  a  firm- 
ness, precision,  and  confidence  in  themselves  and  their 
conductor  which  were  absolutely  amazing,  and  which  ap- 
peared incredible  in  a  chorus  which  had  never  before  sung 
in  public.  The  promptness  of  the  attack,  the  delicacy 
of  shading,  the  smoothness  with  which  the  most  difficult 
roulades  and  the  most  involved  passages  were  executed, 
and  the  clear,  fresh  resonant  quality  of  the  voices,  to- 
gether with  their  excellent  balance,  were  absolutely  satis- 
fying and  delightful.  No  severer  test  could  be  applied 
to  a  chorus  than  the  intricate  numbers  of  the  Bach  Can- 
tata and  the  difficult  Finale  of  the  Ninth  Symphony;  and 
no  chorus  could  have  come  out  more  triumphantly  from 
such  a  trying  ordeal  than  did  the  480  singers  who  were 
under  Mr.  Thomas'  baton  last  night.  And,  admirable  as 
the  work  of  the  chorus  was,  that  of  the  orchestra  was 
still  more  remarkable.  .  .  .  Every  man  in  the  Philhar- 
monic orchestra  seemed  under  the  influence  of  a  sort  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          203 

exaltation,  and  the  result  was  what  it  always  is  when  this 
band  and  its  incomparable  leader  are  at  their  best.  The 
splendid  accompaniments  which  Mr.  Thomas  has  supplied 
to  the  Cantata,  were  given  with  magnificent  sonority  and 
the  utmost  completeness  and  delicacy  of  finish,  and  the 
Symphony  received  a  performance  which  was  rich,  glow- 
ing, sympathetic,  and  inspired  far  beyond  anything  we 
have  ever  known  here  before."  * 

From  the  foregoing  description  of  Thomas  as 
a  choral  conductor,  it  will  be  seen  that  he  had  not 
forgotten  his  own  musical  education  while  he  was 
engaged  in  furthering  that  of  others  at  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Music.  For  there  he  had,  for 
the  first  time,  an  opportunity  which  he  was  not 
slow  to  take  advantage  of,  to  try  out  and  formu- 
late all  his  theories  about  chorus  singing,  and  to 
study  in  detail  all  the  points  relating  to  voice- 
building,  tone-quality,  breathing,  and  balancing 
the  parts,  as  well  as  to  experiment  as  to  the  best 
methods  of  imparting  real  musicianship  to  the 
singers.  In  Cincinnati,  in  short,  he  had  given  his 
chief  attention  to  the  voice,  and  had  mastered 
every  detail  of  the  singers'  art  so  thoroughly  that 
from  that  time  he  understood  the  voice  as  well 
as  the  violin,  and  his  chorus  was  as  perfect  as  his 
orchestra,  when  it  came  under  his  personal  super- 
vision all  the  time.  In  other  cases,  as,  for  in- 
stance, when  a  chorus  was  prepared  for  him  by  a 
chorus  director  in  some  other  city,  for  a  festival 
performance  of  which  he  was  to  be  the  con- 
ductor, he  did  not  attempt  to  get  the  same  results, 

*New  York  Tribune,  Feb.  15,  1880. 


204          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

which  were  possible  only  under  his  exclusive  train- 
ing, but  would,  instead,  endeavor  to  secure  a  good 
performance  through  the  inspiration  of  the  mo- 
ment. 

In  February,  Thomas  went  to  Chicago  to  con- 
duct some  choral  concerts  of  the  Apollo  Club, 
the  leading  choral  society  of  that  city,  and  a  short 
subsequent  season  of  orchestral  performances. 
The  week  happened  to  be  a  very  stormy  one,  and 
one  night  such  a  blizzard  raged  that  the  street  cars 
were  unable  to  run.  When  the  hour  for  beginning 
the  concert  arrived  there  were  hardly  a  dozen 
people  in  the  audience.  Seeing  this,  the  manager 
came  to  Thomas  to  ask  if  the  concert  would  still  be 
given.  "  Of  course,"  was  his  prompt  reply.  "It  will 
not  only  be  given,  but  I  shall  try  to  make  it  an 
especially  good  performance,  for  the  people  who 
have  braved  such  a  storm  as  this  to  hear  us,  must 
surely  be  true  music-lovers,  and  deserve  the  best 
we  can  give  them." 

As  the  winter  progressed  and  the  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  choruses  became  more  thoroughly 
trained,  Thomas  was  able  to  utilize  them  in  the 
manner  he  had  planned,  and  the  following  pro- 
grammes, given  in  these  cities,  show  the  kind  of 
music  which  it  is  possible  to  perform  with  a 
chorus  of  this  class,  and  which  can  be  adequately 
given  only  when  the  conductor  has  at  his  command 
a  choral  body  of  the  very  highest  efficiency.  These 
programmes,  as  will  readily  be  seen,  are  not 
choral  programmes  in  the  ordinary  sense,  but 
symphony  programmes,  pure  and  simple,  in  which 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          205 

the  chorus  is  used  as  an  extension  of  the  orchestra 
in  the  same  way  that  special  instruments  are  in- 
troduced occasionally  by  composers  to  produce 
certain  extraordinary  effects.  Even  when  Thomas 
used  the  chorus  in  selections  purely  choral,  such 
as  the  Utrecht  "  Jubilate,"  it  did  not  form  a 
special  feature  of  the  programme,  but  was  merely 
an  integral  part  of  the  whole  scheme,  subordinated 
to  the  symphony,  around  which,  as  the  dominating 
number,  all  the  others  were  grouped: 


The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society 

Programme 
Cantata,  "  A  Stronghold  Sure  " , Bach 

Intermission 
Symphony  No.  9,  D  minor,  op.  125 Beethoven 

II 

Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society 
Programme 

Symphony  No.  8,  op.  97  (Rhenish).  ., Schumann 

Scenes  from  "  Alceste  " Gluck 

Soloists,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

Intermission 
Overture 

Aria  from  the  "  Flying  Dutchman  " Wagner 

Minuet  and  Fugue  from  Quartette  No.  9  in  C,  for 

String  Orchestra  .  ... .Beethoven 

Duo  Nocturne,  "  Beatrice  and  Benedict  " Berlioz 

Festival  March  and  Chorus,  "  Queen  of  Sheba,"  Goldmark 


206         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

III 

Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society 
Programme 

Symphony,  E  flat.  ...,....•..,.., Mozart 

Cavatine,  "  Euryanthe  ".  ., Weber 

Mrs.  Osgood 

Music  to  "  CEdipus  Tyrannus,"  op.  35 ....  John  K.  Paine 

Mr.  Georg  Henschel,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

Intermission 

(a)  Overture       )     ,,  ~  „          on  „  , 

Y    "  Genoveva,     op.  81 Schumann 

(b)  First  Scene  j 

Mr.  Georg  Henschel,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

Sanctus,  from  Missa  Solennis,  op.  123 .Beethoven 

Violin  Obbligato,  Mr.  Brandt 

Mrs.  Osgood,  Miss  Winant,  Mr.  Toedt,  Mr.  Henschel 
Chorus  and  Orchestra 

Gloria,  Utrecht  "  Jubilate  " u .Haendel 

Chorus  and  Orchestra 

The  work  of  rehearsing  with  the  festival  chorus 
of  Chicago  was  begun  during  the  winter  of  1881, 
and  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  written 
by  a  member  of  this  chorus  illustrates  Thomas' 
methods  of  conducting  when  leading  a  body  of 
singers  who  came  under  his  direction  only  occa- 
sionally : 

"  Last  night  we  had  for  the  first  time  a  grand  mass 
rehearsal  of  our  festival  chorus  under  Thomas,  who  had 
come  to  Chicago  for  that  purpose.  It  was  great  fun  and 
I  wish  we  might  have  him  oftener.  He  conducts  with 
exquisite  grace  of  gesture,  and  yet  so  steadily  and  defi- 
nitely that  there  is  no  chance  of  mistaking  anything.  One 
knows  instinctively  exactly  what  every  gesture  is  intended 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          207 

to  indicate,  and  the  whole  body  of  singers  is  kept  together 
perfectly.  I  cannot  describe  the  volume  of  sound  pro- 
duced by  a  thousand  people  singing  the  *  Hallelujah 
Chorus  '  from  Haendel's  *  Messiah,'  accompanied  by  the 
full  power  of  a  large  organ,  in  a  hall  not  more  than  large 
enough  to  contain  them.  When  Thomas  announced  this 
chorus,  he  gave  a  little  upward  hitch  to  his  sleeves,  and, 
motioning  to  us  all  to  rise,  said,  with  a  challenge  in  his 
tone  that  keyed  up  every  singer  to  his  best  effort :  '  Now 
then !  We  shall  hear  something ! '  And  verily  we  did ! 
When  that  first,  great,  triumphant  'Hallelujah!'  burst 
forth  from  a  thousand  voices,  the  effect  was  so  overpower- 
ing that  I  had  all  I  could  do  to  keep  from  tears,  and  I 
was  so  excited  that  I  could  not  get  my  breath  to  sing  for 
a  full  half-page.  As  for  Thomas,  he  let  himself  go  full 
swing.  His  arms  swayed  wildly  in  the  air,  and  he  kept 
shouting,  first  to  one  part  and  then  to  another,  like  a 
charioteer  in  a  race  urging  on  his  horses,  until  he  worked 
the  singers  up  to  a  perfect  frenzy  of  excitement.  I  was 
lost  in  astonishment,  for  he  is  always  so  quiet  in  concert, 
and  every  movement  is  the  quintessence  of  grace  and  dig- 
nity when  he  is  before  the  public.  Not  that  there  was  any 
lack  of  either  grace  or  dignity  in  the  rehearsal — with 
Thomas  those  attributes  seem  to  be  '  bred  in  the  bone,' — 
but  I  was  unprepared  for  all  this  animation.  The  insight 
he  gave  us  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  music  was  a  revelation, 
and  he  stamped  his  conception  on  our  minds  with  such 
clarity  and  definition  that  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  pos- 
sible for  any  of  us  ever  to  think  of  it  or  sing  it  in  any 
other  way  again." 

It  was  a  fundamental  principle  with  Thomas, 
in  rehearsal,  to  keep  his  musicians  so  absorbingly 
interested  in  their  work  that  their  attention  was 


208 

riveted  on  his  every  gesture.  He  permitted  no 
talking  or  moving  about  during  a  rehearsal,  and 
if  he  saw  the  attention  of  even  the  remotest  singer 
of  the  back  row  begin  to  waver,  he  would  recall 
the  delinquent  to  his  duty  with  such  a  sharp  re- 
buke that  not  only  the  offender,  but  everyone 
else  on  the  stage  would  "  come  to  time "  in  a 
hurry,  each  fearful  lest  the  searching  eye  of  the 
conductor  might  pick  him  out  for  the  next  rapier 
thrust.  But  if  the  reproofs  of  Thomas  were  severe, 
they  were,  on  the  other  hand,  never  insulting,  and 
were  framed  to  spur  the  inattentive  to  duty,  not  to 
humiliate  their  pride.  If  he  had  anything  of  the 
latter  kind  to  say  to  one  of  his  performers,  it  was 
said  in  private,  never  before  the  rest,  unless  the 
case  was  such  a  serious  one  that  he  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  make  an  example  of  the  offender,  which 
very  rarely  happened,  and  nothing  made  him  so 
indignantly  angry  as  when  his  orchestra  was 
treated  with  discourtesy  by  any  other  conductor. 
So  particular  was  he  about  this  that  sometimes, 
when  an  inexperienced  or  ill-mannered  conductor 
was  rehearsing  with  them,  I  have  known  him  to 
sit  on  the  stage  himself  throughout  the  rehearsal, 
in  order  to  make  sure  that  nothing  of  the  sort 
should  happen.  His  orchestral  rehearsals  were 
apt  to  be  long  as  well  as  strenuous ;  he  was  careful, 
however,  not  to  fatigue  his  musicians  unduly,  in 
order  to  keep  their  work  fresh  and  vital.  As  long 
as  the  music  itself  was  sufficient  to  hold  their  at- 
tention, he  would  keep  them  closely  at  work.  But 
when  he  saw  that  they  were  beginning  to  flag,  he 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          209 

would  brighten  the  atmosphere  with  all  sorts  of 
fun  and  nonsense,  or  by  a  little  recess  for  re- 
laxation, and  he  rarely  held  more  than  one  re- 
hearsal in  a  day  with  the  same  body  of  musicians, 
or  rehearsed  on  the  day  of  a  concert.  When 
things  went  particularly  well,  he  would  say,  with 
a  contented  little  smile,  "  It  sounds  very  good — 
very  good,"  and  sometimes,  in  an  orchestra  re- 
hearsal, he  would  say,  "  Well,  Kinder,  you  have 
played  so  well  to-day  that  to-morrow  you  may 
have  a  holiday  and  I  will  omit  the  rehearsal." 
In  short,  he  had  a  thousand  ways  of  keeping  his 
musicians  fresh,  and  their  performances  vital,  and 
he  was  equally  careful  not  to  allow  his  own  work 
to  become  perfunctory,  but  studied  each  composi- 
tion anew,  every  time  he  put  it  on  a  programme, 
no  matter  how  often  he  had  performed  it  before, 
or  how  simple  or  unimportant  it  might  be.  An- 
other matter  about  which  he  was  very  careful  was 
the  cultivation  of  an  esprit  de  corps  in  the  orches- 
tra. He  could  not  afford,  nor  did  he  think  it  wise 
to  pay  salaries  which  were  larger  than  those  paid 
by  other  organizations  similar  to  his  own,  but  he 
had  other  ways  of  making  membership  in  his  or- 
chestra desirable  to  musicians  of  the  first  rank. 
Not  only  did  they  learn  much  in  their  art  from 
him,  but  he  would  use  every  opportunity  to  ad- 
vance them  professionally,  by  giving  all  who  were 
equal  to  it  solo  appearances  in  his  concerts  from 
time  to  time;  by  printing  their  names  on  the  pro- 
grammes whenever  they  played  obbligatos,  or  by 
helping  them  to  gain  reputation  or  extra  money 


210         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

in  any  other  way  that  came  to  hand.  If  one  was 
taken  ill  Thomas  was  the  first  to  head  an  orches- 
tra subscription  to  help  out  the  sufferer  financially, 
and  he  would  hold  the  man's  place  open  for  him 
for  months  at  a  time — sometimes  even  years — 
awaiting  his  recovery,  rather  than  have  a  faithful 
member  of  the  orchestra  lose  his  position  through 
misfortune.  And  even  in  the  stormiest  periods  of 
his  career,  when  he  himself  was  financially  ruined, 
he  always  managed  that  the  orchestra  did  not 
suffer  at  all.  He  was  also  scrupulously  just  to 
all  alike,  and  no  matter  how  much  he  might  per- 
sonally dislike  a  member  of  the  orchestra,  as  long 
as  the  man  did  his  duty  he  could  be  as  certain  of 
retaining  his  position  and  of  having  the  same  con- 
sideration shown  him  as  anyone  else.  In  addition 
to  guarding  their  interests  so  carefully,  Thomas 
attached  his  men  to  him  by  his  warm  and  genial 
nature,  and  whenever  one  of  them  was  in  any 
sort  of  trouble  or  perplexity,  he  would  bring  it 
to  Thomas,  certain  of  finding  from  him  both 
sympathy  and  help.  Under  these  circumstances, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  personnel  of  the 
Thomas  Orchestra  was  composed  of  the  finest 
musicians  Europe  and  America  could  produce, 
and  that  its  membership  changed  but  little  from 
year  to  year.  The  men  did  not  often  leave  unless 
they  were  discharged,  and  Thomas  did  not  dis- 
charge anyone  who  did  his  duty,  was  competent 
for  his  work,  and  respected  by  his  colleagues.  But 
woe  betide  the  man  who  was  found  lacking  in  any 
of  these  essentials.  He  got  no  mercy  from  his 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         211 

chief.  The  implacable  message,  "  Tell  him  not 
to  speak  to  me  again,"  would  come  to  such  an 
one,  and  he  knew  it  was  final.  This  happened 
so  seldom,  however,  that  most  of  the  musicians 
held  their  positions  in  the  orchestra  for  many 
years,  and  even  at  the  present  time  there  are  still 
a  few  of  the  "  old  guard  "  playing  at  the  same 
stands  where  they  have  sat  for  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century — and  not  only  so,  but  playing  as  well 
as  ever.  '  The  training  we  had  from  the  *  Old 
Man '  went  into  our  bones,"  they  will  tell  you, 
"  we  can  never  forget  it  as  long  as  we  live." 

During  the  summer  of  1881  Thomas  again  con- 
ducted a  long  season  of  summer  night  concerts  in 
Chicago,  in  the  same  old  Exposition  Building  of 
happy  memory  that  he  played  in  in  1876.  At  its 
close  he  gave  a  short  series  of  similar  perform- 
ances in  Milwaukee  and  Cincinnati,  and  then,  at 
last,  allowed  himself  to  go  home  and  take  a  little 
rest. 

The  fall  season  of  1881  opened  at  Boston,  with 
two  concerts  on  October  14  and  15,  and  these  con- 
certs closed  his  regular  connection  with  the  mu- 
sical life  of  that  city.  Ever  since  the  year  1869 
Thomas  had  been  the  chief  purveyor  of  orchestra 
music  to  Boston,  and  had  given  more  symphony 
concerts  there  every  season  than  in  any  other 
city.  Now  his  twelve  years  of  service  bore  their 
legitimate  fruit.  It  had  long  been  a  city  of 
musical  culture.  Thomas  did  not  have  to  create 
a  taste  for  good  music  there,  for  it  existed  al- 
ready before  he  came.  But  what  he  did  do  for 


212         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  music  of  Boston  was  to  create  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  performance  and  of  programme-making 
than  any  that  had  previously  existed.  As  soon 
as  he  began  going  there  regularly,  its  local  orches- 
tra died  a  natural  death,  because  it  was  too  in- 
ferior to  stand  a  comparison  with  that  of  Thomas. 
But  now  the  Boston  public  began  to  want  an  or- 
chestra of  its  own  again,  and  in  response  to  this 
desire,  Mr.  Henry  L.  Higginson,  a  wealthy  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  came  forward,  and  at  his 
own  private  expense  founded  the  now  justly 
celebrated  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  which 
gave  its  first  concert  on  October  22,  1881,  under 
the  conductorship  of  Georg  Henschel. 

The  establishment  of  this  orchestra,  which  was 
soon  developed  by  its  founder  to  the  same  stand- 
ard of  size  and  perfection  as  that  of  Thomas, 
naturally  resulted  in  the  loss  of  Boston  as  a 
regular  musical  field  to  the  latter.  This  was  a 
serious  matter  to  Thomas,  both  financially  and 
artistically,  for  it  had  hitherto  been  the  most 
profitable  city  of  his  "  Highway,"  and  its  ad- 
vanced musical  culture  had  afforded  him  the  artis- 
tic satisfaction  of  giving  there  the  highest  class 
of  music,  with  the  certainty  that  it  would  receive 
instant  recognition  from  audience  and  critics  alike. 
Later,  as  the  Boston  orchestra  became  larger  and 
more  excellent  in  its  work,  it  was  inevitable  that 
it  too  should  travel  over  the  "  Highway,"  for  it 
is  hardly  possible  to  maintain  an  orchestra  in  this 
country  without  taking  it  on  occasional  concert 
tours,  and  this  cut  into  the  engagements  of  Thomas 


213 

everywhere,  especially  as  the  Boston  orchestra, 
being  a  subsidized  organization,  could  afford  to 
play  for  less  than  his,  which  was  entirely  de- 
pendent on  its  earnings  for  its  maintenance. 
Thomas  of  course  understood  and  expected  this, 
and  the  two  orchestras  were  always  on  the  most 
friendly  terms,  and  their  respective  managements 
were  careful  to  interfere  with  each  other  as  little  as 
possible.  It  was  also  the  ultimate  object  of  his 
mission  to  stimulate  the  local  art  of  every  city  in 
which  he  gave  concerts,  in  order  that  when  the 
time  should  come  when  he  no  longer  traveled 
with  the  orchestra  himself,  the  standard  he  had 
raised  all  over  the  country  might  be  maintained. 
But  as  one  orchestra  after  another  sprang  up  in 
his  wake  in  the  cities  of  the  "  Highway,"  it  nat- 
urally made  the  problem  of  maintaining  his  own 
increasingly  difficult  of  solution  as  the  years  went 
on,  and  forced  him  to  travel  further  and  further 
West  for  his  musical  field.  This  was  a  benefit  to 
the  country  at  large,  but  in  his  later  years  it  was 
a  real  hardship  to  him  to  have  to  continue  to 
devote  himself  to  pioneer  work  in  remote  places, 
which  he  felt  might  be  done  as  well  by  others,  and 
to  be  denied  all  opportunity  to  do  the  great 
musical  work  in  the  art  centers  of  the  world  for 
which  his  training  and  experience  had  fitted  him, 
and  which  others  could  not  do.  But  so  Fate 
ordered  it  to  the  last. 


CHAPTER  XII 

JANUARY    TO    OCTOBER,     1882 

THE   LEADERSHIP    OF    THE   BOSTON   PHILHARMONIC    SOCIETY 

CONCERTS   IS   OFFERED   TO    THOMAS A   TRIAD   OF    GREAT 

FESTIVALS    IN    NEW    YORK,    CINCINNATI,    AND    CHICAGO, 
IN  MAY,   1882 

IN  the  early  days  after  the  founding  of  the 
Boston  orchestra,  and  before  it  had  reached  the 
high  development  of  its  later  years,  the  music- 
loving  public  of  that  city  continued  to  want  their 
customary  Thomas  concerts,  and  as  Thomas  had 
decided  not  to  give  any  there  on  his  own  account, 
the  Boston  Philharmonic  Society  sent  him  the  fol- 
lowing invitation  through  its  president,  John  K. 
Paine: 

BOSTON,  Jan.  18,  1882. 
Dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

In  behalf  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  Boston,  I  wish 
to  inquire  if  you  would  look  favorably  on  the  proposition 
of  giving  a  series  of  six,  eight,  or  ten  concerts  in  Boston 
next  winter  (1882-3)  with  your  own  orchestra  of  fifty 
to  sixty  men,  under  the  auspices  of  this  society,  provided 
a  sufficient  inducement  were  held  out  to  you?  For  the 
past  two  seasons  the  concerts  have  been  well  supported 
by  a  large  number  of  subscribers,  filling  the  Music  Hall, 
and  I  am  sure  we  can  make  them  permanent  if  you  assume 

214 


215 

the  direction,  as  we  have  everything  that  relates  to  the 
business  of  the  concerts  in  good  order. 

Yours  very  truly, 

JOHN  K.  PAINE. 

Thomas  did  not  accept  this  pleasant  offer,  much 
as  he  would  have  liked  to  do  so,  for  he  did  not 
care  to  come  into  rivalry  with  the  new  orchestra, 
but  regretfully  crossed  Boston  off  the  list  of  his 
"  Highway  "  cities,  and  with  it,  nearly  all  the  rest 
of  his  New  England  territory,  and  left  a  clear 
field  to  Mr.  Higginson  and  his  men. 

At  the  time  when  Thomas  and  the  New  York 
Philharmonic  orchestra  had  combined  their  in- 
terests in  1880,  he  had  laid  before  the  society  a 
plan  which  had  been  in  his  mind  for  some  time,  to 
lower  the  concert  pitch  of  the  orchestra  about  ^ 
of  a  tone,  and  asked  them  to  give  him  their  co- 
operation in  carrying  it  into  effect  two  years 
later.  They  agreed,  and  during  the  season  of 
1881-82  this  important  and  far-reaching  change 
was  made,  in  spite  of  the  enormous  difficulties  it 
involved.  To  the  uninitiated  it  may  seem  a  simple 
thing  to  lower  the  pitch  of  the  little  group  of 
eighty  or  ninety  musicians  who  comprised  the 
Thomas  Orchestra,  but  no  other  single  act 
of  his  life  illustrates  so  well  how  intimately 
Thomas  was  associated  with  the  musical  life  of 
the  whole  country  as  this,  for  no  sooner  had  he 
lowered  the  pitch  of  his  orchestra  than  every 
orchestra  player  and  solo  instrumentalist  in 
America  bought  a  new  instrument,  or  adapted  his 
old  one  to  it.  Consequently  all  the  manufacturers 


216         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  pianos,  organs,  harps,  and  wind  instruments 
had  to  conform  to  the  popular  demand  and  make 
their  instruments  in  accordance  with  it.  The 
reason  of  this  general  following  of  Thomas'  lead 
in  the  matter  is  not  far  to  seek.  In  America,  at 
that  time,  it  was  essential  to  the  standing  of  a 
musician  that  he  should  have  played  under  the 
direction  of  Thomas,  either  in  the  orchestra  or  as 
soloist,  and  no  musician  in  any  part  of  the  coun- 
try would  cut  himself  off  from  this  possibility  by 
the  lack  of  an  instrument  of  suitable  pitch. 
Furthermore  Thomas  and  his  orchestra  formed 
the  basis  of  nearly  all  the  great  festival  per- 
formances in  America,  consequently,  the  organs  in 
the  local  music  halls  everywhere  had  to  be  tuned 
to  his  pitch,  and  all  the  choruses  trained  in  it. 
This,  in  turn,  reacted  on  other  bands  and  musical 
organizations  so  that  they  too  had  to  adopt  the 
new  standard.  The  change  was  not  accomplished 
without  a  good  deal  of  opposition  from  those  whom 
it  inconvenienced,  and  some  fighting  on  the  part 
of  Thomas,  but  that  did  not  stop  him  for  a 
minute.  He  had  fully  made  up  his  mind  that  it 
ought  to  be  done,  and  when  that  was  the  case,  he 
would  not  be  deflected  from  his  course  by  any 
considerations  of  a  personal  nature,  for  either  him- 
self or  anyone  else. 

The  day  after  the  lowering  of  the  pitch  was 
formally  accomplished,  the  following  notice  ap- 
peared about  it  in  the  New  York  Tribune: 

"  The  Philharmonic  Society  is  to  adopt  a  new  musical 
pitch — the  so-called  '  reformed  German  pitch,'  which  is 


217 

practically  the  same  as  the  '  normal  diapason  '  adopted 
by  the  French  Government  Commission  twenty-five  years 
ago,  by  which  the  whole  orchestra  is  lowered  about  a  semi- 
tone. It  is  also  identical  with  the  *  classical  pitch '  of  a 
century  ago  and  with  the  *  philosophical  pitch '  theo- 
retically assumed  upon  mathematical  principles.  Many 
of  the  leading  players  of  the  society  had  supplied  them- 
selves with  new  instruments  last  fall,  and  now  the  entire 
new  set  of  wind  instruments  has  been  completed,  and  the 
required  alterations  of  the  stringed  instruments  have  been 
made.  The  musicians  have  for  months  been  occupied  in 
the  work  of  accommodating  themselves  to  the  change  and 
learning  the  peculiarities  of  the  new  instruments.  The 
change  of  pitch  was  formally  made  at  a  rehearsal  on 
Tuesday  of  this  week,  and  was  first  introduced  at  a  con- 
cert under  the  direction  of  Theodore  Thomas  in  Orange, 
on  Thursday.  The  result  was  satisfactory,  and  the  con- 
ductor and  all  the  musicians  are  delighted  by  its  effect. 
They  say  that  the  tone  is  softer,  fuller,  and  richer,  and 
that  the  quality  of  the  orchestra  will  hereafter  be  finer 
than  it  has  ever  been  before.  One  immediate  effect  of  the 
reform  will  be  the  pleasure  of  hearing  classic  works  per- 
formed as  they  were  designed  and  written.  Another  will 
be  the  relief  of  all  solo  and  chorus  singers,  who  will  hence- 
forth avoid  the  strain  under  which  the  human  voice  has 
for  some  generations  painfully  striven  to  match  the  grow- 
ing intensity  of  the  modern  orchestra." 

With  the  exception  of  one  short  Western  con- 
cert tour  in  January,  Thomas  devoted  himself 
entirely  to  his  New  York  interests  during  the 
winter  of  1881-82,  and  to  the  preparations  for  the 
three  great  musical  festivals  of  the  coming  May. 
That  of  New  York  came  first,  and  was  the  largest, 


218          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

as  well  as  one  of  the  most  artistically  perfect 
musical  enterprises  Thomas  ever  undertook.  It 
was  given  in  the  Seventh  Regiment  Armory,  on 
May  2d  to  6th,  and  consisted  of  the  seven  fol- 
lowing programmes: 


Musical  Festival 

New  York 

May  2,  1882 

Programme 

Cantata,  "  A  Stronghold  Sure  " Bach 

Miss  Annie  Louise  Gary,  Mr.  William  Candidus,  Mr. 

M.  W.  Whitney 
Chorus,  Orchestra,  Organ 

Symphony,  C  major  (Koechel,  551) Mozart 

Recitative  and  Aria,  "  Abscheulicher  "  (Fidelio), 

Beethoven 
Madame  Amelia  Friedrich-Materna 

Intermission 

Jubilate  (written  for  the  Peace  of  Utrecht).  .  .  .Haendel 
Miss  Gary,  Mr.  Theodore  J.  Toedt,  Mr.  Georg 

Henschel 
Chorus,  Orchestra,  Organ 

n 

Classical  Programme 

Iphigenia  in  Aulis Gluck 

(a)  Overture 

(b)  Scene  I,  "  Diane  impitoyable  " 

Signer  A.  F.  Galassi 
Symphony  in  C  major,  No.  9 Schubert 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          219 

Aria,  "  Der  Hoelle  Rache  "  (Magic  Flute) Mozart 

Madame  Etelka  Gerster 
Intermission 

Overture    (Manfred) Schumann 

Aria,  "Der  Kriegeslust  ergeben  "   ( Jessonda)  .  .  .  .Spohr 

Mr.  Georg  Henschel 
Recitative  and  Aria,  "  Ocean,  Thou  Mighty  Monster," 

Weber 

Madame  Materna 
Overture  (Ruy  Bias) Mendelssohn 

III 

Beethoven  Programme 

Symphony  C  major  No.  5,  op.  67 
Intermission 
Missa  Solennis,  D  major,  op.  123 

IV 

Wagner  Programme 

Soloists — Mme.    Materna,     Misses    Schell,    Wurmb,    and 
Henne ;  Messrs.  Campanini,  Galassi,  Candidus,  Toedt, 

Remmertz,  and  Steins 
DAS  RHEINGOLD 

(a)  The  theft  of  the  gold,    (b)  Wotan's  Apostrophe 
to  Walhalla.     (c)  Loge's  tidings,     (d)  Grand 

closing  scene 
DIE  WALKUERE 

(a)  Introduction  to  Act  I.     (b)  Siegmund's  Love- 
song,     (c)  The  Ride  of  the  Walkyries.     (d) 
Wotan's  farewell  and  the  magic  fire  scene 

Intermission 
SIEGFEIED 

The  forging  of  the  sword 


220          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

DlE    GOETTERDAEMMERUNG 

(a)    Siegfried's    Death.      (b)    Finale,    Briinnhilde's 
Immolation. 

V 

Haendel  Programme 
Israel  in  Egypt 

VI 

Italian  Programme 
Sonata  in  D  (String  orchestra), 

Arcangelo  Corelli  (1653-1713) 
Aria,  "  Se  i  miei  sospiri," 

Alessandro  Stradella  (1645-1678) 
Miss  Emily  Winant 
Minuetto  (String  orchestra), 

Luigi  Boccherini  (1740-1805) 
Aria,  "  Pria  che  spunti "  (II  matrimonio  segreto), 

Domenico  Cimarosa  (1754-1801) 
Signor  Italo  Campanini 
Les  deux  Journees.  .  .  ...  .,.  .Luigi  Cherubini  (1760-1842) 

(a)  Overture,    (b)  Sestetto  Finale,  "  O  Ciel !  ",  Act  I 

La  Vestale Gasparo  Spontini  (1784-1851) 

(a)  Overture,    (b)  Scene  "  Del  tuo  gran  Ministero," 

Act  II 

Intermission 

Guglielmo  Tell Rossini  (1792-1868) 

(a)  Overture,     (b)  Terzetto,  Act  II 
Duo,  "  Ah  Leonora  il  guardo  "  (La  Favorita), 

Donizetti  (1797-1848) 
Miss  Gary,  Signor  Galassi 
Aria,  "Ah  non  giunge  "  (Sonnambula), 

Bellini  (1802-1835) 
Madame  Gerster 
Romanza,  "  Eri  tu  "  (Un  Ballo  in  Maschera), 

Verdi   (1814) 


221 

Signor  Galassi 
Overture  (Re  Lear) .  .1. . . .. >.  ...  Bazzini  (1818) 

VII 

Programme 
Symphony  to  Dante's  "  Divina  Commedia".  .......  .Liszt 

Orchestra,  Chorus  of  Women's  Voices,  Organ 
Scene  "  Der  Daemon,"  Act  I.  .,..,....>..>...  .Rubinstein 

Madame  Gerster 
Intermission 

"  The  Fall  of  Troy,"  Act  II Berlioz 

Soloists,  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 
Chorus,  "  Die  Meistersinger,"  Act  III. Wagner 

The  musical  forces  which  were  to  render  this 
remarkable  series  of  programmes  consisted  of  an 
orchestra  of  three  hundred  players,  a  chorus  of 
three  thousand  singers,  and  the  world  renowned 
solo  artists,  Madame  Amalia  Friedrich-Materna 
(who  created  the  great  soprano  Wagner  roles  at 
Baireuth),  Madame  Etelka  Gerster,  Miss  Annie 
Louise  Gary,  and  Messrs.  Campanini,  Galassi, 
Georg  Henschel,  Remmertz,  Myron  W.  Whitney, 
and  others.  The  basis  of  the  great  mass-chorus 
was  Thomas'  own  New  York-Brooklyn  chorus  of 
twelve  hundred  singers,  which  was  reinforced  by 
the  Haendel  and  Haydn  Society  of  Boston,  the 
Cecilian  Society  of  Philadelphia,  the  Musical  As- 
sociation Chorus  of  Worcester,  the  Oratorio  Asso- 
ciation of  Baltimore,  and  the  Choral  Society  of 
Reading.  The  orchestra  was  composed  wholly  of 
musicians  who  had  at  some  time  belonged  to  the 
Thomas  Orchestra.  It  was  a  great  reunion — the 
only  reunion  that  Thomas  ever  enjoyed  with  his 


222          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

former  "  Boys  " — and  there  was  no  end  to  the 
fun  and  jollity  that  went  on  amongst  them  in 
spite  of  the  hard  work.  In  speaking  of  the  manner 
in  which  he  placed  this  great  orchestra  on  the 
stage,  Thomas  said,  "  I  arranged  them  so  that  they 
formed  a  triple  orchestra,  similar  to  the  three 
manuals  of  an  organ,  which  I  could  play  on  singly 
or  in  combination  at  my  pleasure.  Of  course  the 
orchestra  parts  were  all  marked,  and  had  been  re- 
hearsed accordingly,  but  in  such  an  immense  hall 
as  that  in  which  the  festival  was  given,  the  differ- 
ence in  the  acoustics  when  it  was  empty  or  when  it 
was  full  of  people  was  so  great  that  I  had  to  be 
prepared  for  any  emergency.  In  the  concerts  I 
made  good  use  of  my  combinations  and  accom- 
plished some  unusual  shading  by  manipulating 
my  triple  orchestra,  even  in  such  works  as  the 
Jupiter  Symphony  of  Mozart.  Some  of  the  works 
were  given  with  overpowering  effect,  but  others 
again,  for  instance  the  Beethoven  Mass,  disap- 
pointed me.  The  greatest  and  most  enduring 
effect  was  made  by  the  Wagner  programme.  This 
performance  created  the  greatest  excitement  I 
ever  witnessed  in  a  concert.  Considered  from  every 
point  of  view  this  festival  was  one  of  those 
unusual  occasions  which  rarely  come  twice  in  a 
lifetime."  * 

Some  idea  of  the  detail  work  of  the  rehearsals 
alone  of  such  a  festival,  given  as  Thomas  was 
accustomed  to  give  them,  may  be  had  from  the 
following  list  of  the  final  week  of  orchestra  re- 
hearsals : 

*See  "  Theodore  Thomas,  a  Musical  Autobiography,"  Vol.  I,  p.  90. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


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224          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

From  this  list  (a  copy  of  which  was  furnished  to 
each  member  of  the  orchestra),  it  will  be  seen 
that  during  this  week  Thomas  often  rehearsed 
with  them  five  or  six  hours  a  day.  In  the  evenings 
he  probably  rehearsed  with  the  chorus,  using  a 
piano  accompaniment,  for  this  was  his  custom  at 
all  festivals.  Thomas'  conception  of  a  musical  fes- 
tival was  somewhat  different  from  the  generally 
accepted  idea  of  the  public.  To  most  people  a 
festival  simply  means  size,  and  denotes  a  series  of 
concerts  in  which  an  unusual  number  of  perform- 
ers, vocal  and  instrument,  give  a  series  of  concerts 
in  a  place  of  great  magnitude,  before  an  audience 
of  vast  dimensions.  Thomas  also  included  the 
foregoing  essentials  in  his  scheme  of  a  festival, 
but  added  to  them  others  which  were  in  his  esti- 
mation of  far  more  importance.  First,  the  pro- 
grammes must  include  great  works  which  could 
not  be  adequately  given  without  a  large  body  of 
performers,  and  were  for  that  reason  rarely  heard 
in  concert.  Second,  the  standard  of  performance 
of  both  the  orchestra  and  chorus  must  be  the 
very  highest  possible.  The  solo  artists  must  be  the 
greatest  obtainable.  He  would  not  conduct  a 
series  of  concerts  under  the  name  "  Festival," 
unless  these  conditions  could  be  reasonably  ful- 
filled, nor  would  he  give  a  festival  without  two 
years  of  preparation  for  the  same. 

When  the  month  of  May  finally  arrived,  all 
was  ready  for  the  event,  which  proved  to  be  the 
greatest  single  achievement  of  its  kind  in  the  life 
of  Thomas,  for  he  was  never  able  again  to  Com- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          225 

bine  the  two  antagonistic  elements  of  quality 
and  quantity  to  the  extent  that  he  combined  them 
in  this  remarkable  series  of  performances. 

As  the  programmes  of  the  various  concerts  re- 
quired different  musical  forces,  and  a  different 
arrangement  of  the  chorus,  Thomas  had  diagrams 
prepared  of  the  seating  for  each  of  the  concerts, 
for  the  directors  in  charge  of  the  different  societies 
which  made  up  the  chorus.  Each  society  had  its 
own  color,  represented  here  by  a  number,  so  that 
its  director  could  tell  at  a  glance,  by  consulting 
the  diagrams,  just  where  his  sopranos,  altos,  etc., 
were  to  sit  at  each  performance.  Thus  all  con- 
fusion was  avoided  in  spite  of  the  nightly  changes 
in  the  seating  of  the  vast  body  of  singers. 

When  the  doors  of  the  Armory  were  thrown 
open  to  admit  the  expectant  throngs,  they  saw  a 
very  handsome  hall,  with  a  seating  capacity  of 
more  than  seven  thousand.  At  the  Fourth  Avenue 
end  rose  the  immense  parterre  of  three  thousand 
chorus  seats,  and  at  its  base  spread  the  great 
stage  for  the  orchestra  with  its  platforms  of 
graded  heights  and  its  three  hundred  chairs. 
The  chorus  part  of  the  stage  was  draped  on  either 
side  with  heavy  folds  of  dark  maroon  stuff,  and 
the  balustrade,  which  railed  its  lower  edge,  was 
beautifully  festooned  with  greens  and  flowers. 
The  balcony  just  above  its  upper  row,  back  of 
which  extended  the  big  sounding  board,  was 
trimmed  with  greens  and  pine  branches,  and  at  its 
two  extremes  were  banked  palms  and  potted 
shrubs,  forming  a  dark  rich  background  for  the 


226 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


bright  colored  dresses  of  the  singers  grouped  in 
front.  All  along  the  front  of  the  stage  were  rows 
of  geraniums  and  other  blossoming  plants,  which 


1.  116  BROOKLYN    SOPRftXOS. 
2.  112  NEW  YORK  SOPRANOS. 

3.104KWOXWN  2?.  somiws. 

4.  80.  NEW  YORK  2!  S«PRAKOS. 
5.  41  JROOKLYN   i*.  TENOR*. 
6.46.MEWYORK  **.  TCNOM. 

7-  35  .BROOKLYN.  26  NEW  YORK    TEMOfU. 

8.42.  BROOKLYN, 


10.  7ff3WoxLY«  V.  AUTO*. 


1R.  «.  NEYnOMC  2-X  ALTOS. 

11  40  ..BROOKLYN  A*  M.TOS. 

completed  the  floral  frame  to  the  picture,  and  the 
platform  for  the  conductor  and  his  stand,  as  the 
central  point  of  the  whole,  showed  also  its  appro- 
priate decorations. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  after  so  much  careful 
preparation,  the  performances  were  as  nearly  per- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


227 


feet  as  they  could  be  made.  Unfortunately 
Thomas  rarely  read  or  preserved  press  notices 
about  his  work,  and  the  only  material  of  this  kind 
which  is  at  the  command  of  his  biographer  is  that 


1. 


SOPRANOS, 

2.  NEVCVOR.*  SOPKRNOS. 
3.  KEfU>m&  TENORS 

4.  JitW  XORVv  teNORS. 

5.  SfvOOKWS   TtNQKS. 
€.  WORCESTER 

7.  BROOKLYN  BR&SOS. 
8  RE&BINfc  BftSSOS. 
$  Vxoncum.  BAH.*. 

10.  NEW  XORK  "RASSOS. 
11  Rf  AtlN*  ftttos. 


13.  NEW  WRK  J\V.TOS. 


1  6.  YVOKCE4TER.  SOPRANOS, 


which  could  be  gleaned  from  the  scrapbooks  of 
his  friends.  In  this  instance  only  three  short 
clippings  from  the  musical  notices  of  this  festival 
are  at  hand,  but  perhaps  they  will  serve  as  well  as 
if  they  were  longer,  to  describe  the  general 


228          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

character  of  the  work  accomplished  and  the  im- 
pression it  produced  on  the  listeners.  They  are 
as  follows: 

"  Public  interest  in  this  concert  (the  Wagner  Pro- 
gramme) seemed  to  have  been  raised  to  the  highest  pitch, 
and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  crowded  audience  found  vent 
in  demonstrations  surpassing  even  those  which  hailed  the 
extraordinary  interpretation  of  Beethoven's  Fifth  Sym- 
phony last  evening.  To  say  that  the  performance  was 
brilliantly  successful  is  very  feebly  to  indicate  its  effect. 
.  .  .  The  playing  of  the  '  Ride  of  the  Valkyries '  is  not 
to  be  described.  Most  of  us  probably  thought  we  had 
gauged  the  capacity  of  this  orchestra  pretty  thoroughly 
on  Wednesday,  but  here  was  a  new  sensation,  and  it  left 
us  wondering  whether  Thomas  has  any  more  surprises  in 
store  for  us,  and  just  how  much  he  can  do  with  his  band. 
...  At  the  end,  and  this  is  not  a  figure  of  speech  but  a 
literal  statement  of  fact,  the  people  fairly  jumped  from 
their  seats.  ..." 

Of  this  performance  Madame  Materna  said,  "  I 
can  give  no  better  idea  of  my  opinion  of  this  con- 
cert than  by  saying  that  when  I  was  listening  to  it 
I  was  wishing  that  Wagner  himself  were  here  to 
hear  his  music  rendered  so  perfectly.  It  wafc 
magnificent,  grand,  and  so  far  as  the  orchestra 
was  concerned,  nothing  could  be  finer.  .  .  .  That 
here,  in  America,  Thomas  so  faithfully  reproduced 
the  same  effects  which  I  myself  have  heard  Wag- 
ner studiously  teach  his  musicians,  amazes 
me.  .  .  ." 

Another  notice  describes  the  performances  of 
the  Haendel  programme  as  follows: 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          229 
THE  MUSIC  FESTIVAL 

HANDEL    NIGHT 

It  might  have  been  thought  that  after  the  extraor- 
dinary performance  of  the  Wagner  music  on  Thursday — 
the  grandest  performance,  we  presume,  that  the  music 
of  "  The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  ever  received — nothing 
could  be  done  to  sustain  the  remainder  of  the  Festival 
on  the  exalted  level  then  reached.  But  last  night  the  sen- 
sation was  increased.  It  would  be  difficult  indeed  to  dwarf 
"  Israel  in  Egypt."  Its  effects  are  in  the  strongest  pos- 
sible contrast  to  those  of  the  modern  school,  but  they 
never  have  been  surpassed ;  and  if  the  demonstrations  last 
evening  were  less  exciting  than  those  of  the  day  before,  the 
impression  was  at  least  as  deep,  and  the  satisfaction  certainly 
as  general.  In  the  Wagner  programme  the  orchestra  earned 
its  chief  triumph.  In  Handel  the  chorus  mustered  its  full- 
est force  and  scored  its  most  startling  success.  The 
opening  of  the  work  is  a  strange  one,  but  last  night  it  was 
singularly  effective.  There  is  no  instrumental  prelude. 
The  oratorio  begins  with  a  tenor  recitative,  beautifully 
delivered  by  Mr.  Candidus;  then,  after  a  brief  passage 
for  alto  solo,  the  double  chorus  enters.  And  here,  when 
the  three  thousand  singers  broke  out,  with  their  stupen- 
dous tone  and  their  miraculous  attack,  the  audience  ex- 
perienced the  first  of  an  evening  of  sensations.  The 
splendid  work  accomplished  in  the  "  Jubilate  "  on  Tues- 
day, ought  to  have  prepared  us  for  this,  but  in  the 
"  Israel "  the  chorus  was  about  twice  as  large  as  in  the 
smaller  composition,  and  its  excellence  seems  almost  to 
have  increased  with  its  size.  The  effect  was  so  grand  that 
the  surprised  and  delighted  audience  seemed  disposed  to 
encore  everything.  "  He  spake  the  word  "  was  repeated ; 
so  was  the  "  Hailstone  "  chorus ;  after  which  Mr.  Thomas 
announced  that  owing  to  the  great  length  of  the  oratorio 


280          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

it  would  be  impossible  to  repeat  anything  else,  a  deter- 
mination which,  however,  later  in  the  evening,  he  was 
induced  to  break.  The  vigor  and  persistency  of  the  ap- 
plause were  all  the  more  significant  because  this  is  one  of 
the  least  diversified  of  all  oratorios,  most  of  it  being  a 
succession  of  massive  choruses,  seldom  relieved  either  by 
an  interval  of  solo  or  even  by  a  relaxation  of  the  stu- 
pendous dignity  assumed  in  the  very  first  choral  number. 
If  the  execution  had  been  anything  less  than  stupendous, 
the  excitement  of  the  listeners  would  infallibly  have  died 
away  before  the  end. 

What  we  said  of  the  chorus  after  the  first  night  may 
be  repeated  now  with  added  emphasis.  This  is  a  body  of 
singers  possessing  all  the  good  qualities  of  a  chorus  in  a 
very  high  degree.  Their  volume  of  tone  is  overpowering. 
Their  purity  of  tone  surpasses  everything  within  our  ex- 
perience. Their  precision  is  irreproachable.  They  are 
never  at  a  loss,  never  uncertain,  never  confused,  never 
afraid  of  their  music.  They  sing  with  an  elegance  of 
expression  which  would  do  credit  to  a  glee-club,  and  a 
finish  of  style  which  artists  might  envy.  What  justness 
of  sentiment,  what  poetical  sensibility,  they  showed  in 
the  contrasts  of  their  manners  last  night,  the  sturdy  mag- 
nificence of  "  The  Lord  Shall  Reign,"  for  instance,  the 
refinement  of  "  He  Led  Them  Forth  Like  Sheep,"  and  the 
solemnity  of  passages  like  "  The  Depths  Have  Covered 
Them,"  where  the  organ  asserts  itself  so  gloriously.  The 
whole  of  the  series  of  five  choruses  and  double  choruses 
beginning  with  the  last  mentioned  number  may  be  cited 
as  the  final  expression  of  good  singing.  Of  course  a  great 
deal  of  the  majesty  of  last  evening's  performance  was  due 
to  the  visiting  organizations,  the  famous  Handel  and 
Haydn  of  Boston,  always  so  sure  and  so  well  trained,  and 
the  admirable  societies  from  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore. 
But  the  basis  of  it  all  was  our  own  force  (New  York  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


231 


Brooklyn),  and  the  whole  body  took  their  beautiful  style 
and  their  animation  from  Thomas.     It  did  not  need  this 


•7. 


4.  Sosfo 

"* 

>        •*•!• 

t-  B+Km,,*  ">•&**>,.        W. 


s.       *4. 


l.  f). 


6f~ 


j.  14. 


7«.&J#K    /*'//*!.  <^. 

?/.  PAiUitlp*;*  t*tnn.         39. 


festival  to  prove  that  he  is  not  less  great  as  a  leader  of 
choruses  than  as  a  master  of  the  orchestra,  but  the  fact 


232 


is  now  brought  home  to  thousands  who  have  been  slow  to 
realize  it.  To  the  best  of  our  belief  there  has  never  been 
chorus  singing  in  New  York  to  approach  the  splendor 
of  what  he  has  given  us  this  week. 


The  closing  scene  of  the  final  concert  was  thus 
summed  up  by  the  critic  of  the  Tribune: 


"  The  festival  closed  in  a  blaze  of  glory  and  amidst  the 
jubilant  shouts  of  thousands  of  music  lovers.  .  .  .  The 
capacity  of  the  hall  was  tested  to  the  full,  and  the  concert 
was  listened  to  by  no  less  than  8,500  persons.  Every  inci- 
dent of  the  evening  quickened  the  enthusiasm,  and  when 
at  the  close  the  audience  refused  to  leave  their  places  for 
fully  five  minutes,  and  thundered  for  the  return  of  Mr. 
Thomas  to  the  stage,  that  they  might  give  him  a  last 
testimonial  of  his  labors,  the  spectacle  was  among  the 
most  striking  in  the  annals  of  music  in  this  country." 


Like  most  of  Thomas'  schemes,  the  great  New 
York  festival  was  an  expensive  luxury  to  those 
who  promoted  it,  for  although  the  astonishing 
sum  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  nine  thousand 
dollars  was  taken  in  at  the  box  office  from  the 
sale  of  the  tickets  for  its  seven  concerts,  the  cost 
of  the  festival  was  more  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty-three  thousand,  thus  leaving  a  deficit  for 
the  guarantors  to  make  up  of  nearly  fourteen 
thousand  dollars.  Its  financial  report  was  as 
follows: 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          233 

EECEIPTS 

Guarantee  Fund   called , $  29,560.00 

Subscription    Certificates 53,325.00 

Single    Tickets 48,044.00 

Auction    Premiums.  .  .  . 8,081.50 

Interest. .  455.40 


$139,465.90 


DISBURSEMENTS 


Rent  and  Fittings  of  Halls  and  Armory.  .  .  $  29,875.07 

Soloists ...... 26,654.62 

Orchestra. .......  19,205.20 

Transportation  and  Board  of  Choruses,  and 

Chorus  Expenses .  17,083.95 

Advertising  and  Printing,  etc , .  11,637.68 

Conductor  and  his  Assistants.  .»„.••••• 9,984.91 

Music  and  Organ.  ... 5,485.39 

Business  Manager 2,500.00 

Cable  Telegrams,  Messenger  service,  and 

labor..  . ,. ... •.,.  .,.  .1 ,. 1,143.08 

$123,569.90 
Amount  returned  to  Guarantors 15,896.00 

$139,465.90 
JOSEPH  W.  DREXEL,  Treasurer. 

As,  however,  the  guarantors  had  been  prepared 
for  a  deficit  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  they  did  not 
complain,  but  paid  the  money  cheerfully  and 
considered  it  well  spent.  At  the  same  time  they 
presented  Thomas  with  a  beautiful  ivory  baton, 
around  the  golden  mounting  of  which  was  in- 
scribed the  opening  theme  of  the  Fifth  Symphony 


£34          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

— a  work  which,  to  those  who  knew  and  loved 
him,  seemed  peculiarly  descriptive  of  his  own  life 
and  character.  Accompanying  the  baton  was  the 
following  letter,  illuminated  on  vellum  and  bound 
in  crimson  velvet: 


NEW  YORK,  May,  1882. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ. 

Dear  Sir: 

We,  the  Advisory  Council  of  the  Music  Festival  of 
1882,  desire  heartily  to  congratulate  you  upon  its  memo- 
rable result.  We  have  known  the  untiring  energy,  pa- 
tience, skill,  and  devotion  with  which  you  have  discharged 
the  immense  duties  which  have  devolved  upon  you  in 
organization  and  preparation;  we  were  witness  of  the 
signal  triumph  which  was  achieved  by  your  direction  of 
the  friendly  host,  of  vocal  and  instrumental  forces  drawn 
from  widely  separated  communities,  but  all  inspired  by 
the  spirit  of  their  leader.  Gratefully  recalling  your  long 
and  faithful  service  in  educating  the  musical  taste  of  the 
country,  by  the  noblest  choral  and  orchestral  interpreta- 
tion of  the  greatest  works  of  the  greatest  masters,  a  serv- 
ice of  which  the  late  festival  was  a  worthy  illustration  and 
monument,  we  have  desired  to  offer  you  some  simple  and 
fitting  token  of  so  striking  an  event  in  the  musical  history 
of  America,  a  token  which  should  derive  all  its  value  from 
friendly  sympathy  and  regard.  We  beg,  therefore,  re- 
spectfully to  ask  your  acceptance  of  a  conductor's  baton, 
which  in  itself  is  of  no  worth,  but  which  we  hope  may 
serve  to  remind  you  of  our  friendship  and  gratitude,  and 
of  our  unalloyed  pleasure  in  the  associations  of  the  festi- 
val. Surely,  if  he  be  justly  happy  whose  unselfish  pub- 
lic career  has  surrounded  him  with  love,  honor,  and  troops 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         235 

of  friends,  we  can  wish  for  you  no  greater  blessing  than 

the  continuance  of  your  present  happiness. 
We  are,  dear  Sir,  with  the  highest  regard 

Very  truly  yours, 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS,  President. 
HENRY  G.  MARQUAND,  First  Vice-President. 
CYRUS  W.  FIELD,  Second  Vice-President. 
DANIEL  LORD,  JR.,  Secretary. 
JOSEPH  W.  DREXEL,  Treasurer. 
JAMES  W.  ALEXANDER  JOSEPH  LYMAN 

WILLIAM  WALDORF  ASTOR         HENRY  C.  WHITNEY 
WM.  R.  BUNKER  HERBERT  SEYMOUR 

SETH  Low  JOHN  D.  ELWELL 

RICHARD  IRWIN,  JR.  HENRY  SELIGMAN 

J.  C.  RODRIGUES  WM.  A.  WHITE 

CHARLES  A.  PEABODY  FREDERICK  D.  BLAKE 

ARPAD  G.  GERSTER  EDWARD  L.  OWEN 

FREDERIC  CROMWELL  D.  A.  LINDLEY 

B.  T.  FROTHINGHAM  CHARLES  F.  TRETBAR 

Louis  C.  LEWIS  SAMUEL  S.  SANFORD 

In  all  Thomas'  long  career — a  career  which  was 
devoted  to  a  succession  of  great  enterprises — 
hardly  any  of  them  paid  their  own  expenses.  And 
it  is  surely  the  strongest  proof  of  the  genuine  love 
of  art  inherent  in  the  American  people  that  year 
after  year  there  were  always  to  be  found  public- 
spirited  men  to  finance  these  costly  musical  enter- 
prises. Thomas  was  not  an  extravagant  man, 
either  in  his  private  expenditures  or  those  of  his 
profession,  and  his  long  experience  and  wide 
professional  connections  enabled  him  to  get  artis- 
tic results  with  a  smaller  outlay  than  most  people 


236          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

could,  but  he  despised  from  his  very  soul  any- 
thing that  savored  of  meanness,  nor  would  he  for 
one  minute  allow  the  art  standard  of  anything 
he  was  responsible  for  to  be  lowered  for  financial 
considerations,  and  many  a  time  he  paid  from  his 
own  pocket  losses  for  which  he  was  in  no  way 
responsible  rather  than  have  the  artistic  quality 
of  his  work  suffer. 

Immediately  on  the  close  of  the  New  York  fes- 
tival, Thomas  and  his  musicians,  orchestra  and 
soloists,  went  to  Cincinnati,  and  again  plunged 
into  a  week  of  double  and  triple  daily  rehearsals 
and  all  the  high-pressure  labor  incident  to  the  final 
preparations  of  a  festival,  and  again  he  passed 
through  the  anxieties  of  seven  colossal  perform- 
ances and  tasted  the  glory  of  triumphant  success. 
One  of  the  leading  critics  of  Cincinnati  thus 
summed  up  the  impressions  created  by  the  per- 
formances of  this  festival  in  his  notice  of  the 
final  concert: 

"  The  May  Festival  of  1882  is  at  an  end.  Last  night 
witnessed  its  close  with  an  audience  which  packed  the 
house  to  its  utmost.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end 
there  was  a  continuous  flutter  of  excitement.  At  times 
the  vast  sea  of  humanity  gave  vent  to  wildest  applause. 
Men  yelled  and  ladies  clapped  their  hands  and  waved  their 
handkerchiefs.  It  was  a  marvelous  termination  to  a  re- 
markable week  of  music  .  .  .  and  if  the  cause  of  high 
art  in  music  has  made  rapid  progress  in  this  city  during 
the  past  two  years,  if  our  people  have  been  educated  to 
a  still  better  appreciation  of  classic  music  well  performed, 
the  first  acknowledgment  of  thanks  is  due  to  Theodore 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         237 

Thomas.  ...  He  has  been  the  moving  and  leading  spirit 
through  which  it  has  been  made  possible  to  provide  for 
our  people  every  two  years  a  pure  musical  feast — the  con- 
summate conductor, — the  calculating,  far-seeing  organizer 
who  supervised  the  work." 

No  sooner  was  the  Cincinnati  festival  ended 
than  Thomas  went  to  Chicago  to  prepare  for  the 
third  time  a  set  of  festival  performances.  Here, 
however,  his  work  was  far  more  difficult  than  in 
either  of  the  two  preceding  festivals,  for  he  had 
a  chorus  which  had  neither  the  organization  nor 
the  training  of  those  in  the  other  cities.  With 
only  a  week  in  which  to  tune  it  up  to  concert 
pitch,  it  may  be  imagined  that  he  called  for  re- 
hearsals morning,  noon,  and  night.  Each  part  of 
the  chorus  was  rehearsed  separately  during  the 
day,  and  in  the  evenings  mass  rehearsals  of  all 
the  singers  were  held.  Finally  the  orchestra  was 
added.  The  result  was  a  fine  series  of  perform- 
ances, the  standard  of  which  was  not  much  below 
that  of  the  two  preceding  festivals.  Amongst  the 
choral  numbers  of  this  festival  must  be  men- 
tioned one  which  was  remarkable,  even  in  such  a 
series  of  great  performances  as  these.  The  credit 
of  this  number  was  not,  however,  due  to  Thomas, 
but  to  the  chorus  director,  W.  T.  Tomlins. 
This  was  a  chorus  for  women's  voices  from  one 
of  Bach's  Cantatas.  The  number  was  not  written 
for  a  chorus,  but  for  two  solo  voices,  but  Tomlins 
had  a  fancy  to  have  it  sung  by  the  full  soprano 
and  alto  choirs  of  the  chorus.  When,  however, 


238 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


3«...-<,  •»«  C .......  v  "". 


Seating  for  Chorus  of  Chicago  Festival,  1882 

he  began  to  rehearse  it  he  found  it  far  more 
difficult  for  the  singers  than  he  had  imagined. 
Rehearsal  after  rehearsal  passed  during  two  years, 
and  still  the  choirs  always  became  hopelessly  in- 
volved in  its  polyphonic  mysteries  and  could  never 
sing  it  through  without  a  breakdown.  Tomlins 
at  last  began  to  despair  of  being  able  to  carry  out 
this  little  piece  of  virtuosity,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  giving  it  up;  but  one  day,  when  the  chorus 
had  muddled  it  even  worse  than  usual,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Shut  your  books  and  sing  from  mem- 
ory." The  chorus  did  as  they  were  bid,  and  lo,  to 
everyone's  amazement  the  thing  went  perfectly! 


239 

The  explanation  was  simple.  The  music  was  so 
difficult,  and  the  singers  so  anxious  to  do  it  well, 
that  as  long  as  they  had  it  before  them  they  kept 
their  eyes  glued  to  their  notes  and  would  not 
look  at  the  conductor.  But  as  soon  as  the  notes 
were  taken  from  them  they  were  entirely  de- 
pendent upon  watching  his  beat  and  were,  of 
course,  guided  correctly.  After  that  the  notes 
were  never  used  for  this  number,  and  when 
Thomas  conducted  it  in  the  festival  it  was  with- 
out either  notes  or  orchestral  accompaniment,  and 
it  was  so  wonderfully  sung  that  even  he  laid  down 
his  baton,  as  it  ended,  and  joined  the  audience  in 
demanding  an  encore — an  extraordinary  proceed- 
ing for  him,  for  at  festivals  he  made  and  en- 
forced the  strictest  rules  against  encores. 

Like  its  predecessors,  the  Chicago  festival  was 
a  great  artistic  achievement,  and  its  final  concerts 
were  summed  up  in  the  following  clipping  taken 
from  the  notice  telegraphed  to  the  New  York 
Herald,  at  its  close: 

"  Chicago,  May  26,  1882.  This,  the  last  day  of  the 
Chicago  festival,  has  been  significantly  the  day  of  days  of 
the  series.  At  the  matinee  a  great  Wagner  programme 
was  given.  It  was  simply  perfection  and  aroused  the 
greatest  enthusiasm  in  an  audience  which  numbered  fully 
seven  thousand  people.  At  the  evening  concert,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents, 
the  hall  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  There  were 
present  in  the  building  over  ten  thousand  persons,  of  whom 
twenty-five  hundred  stood  throughout  the  entire  per- 
formance." 


240          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

The  cost  of  the  festival,  in  spite  of  the  large 
attendance,  nevertheless  exceeded  its  receipts  by 
$6,000,  but  it  was  not  only  cheerfully  paid,  but 
its  promoters  immediately  set  about  planning  for 
another,  to  be  given  two  years  later. 

At  the  close  of  the  Chicago  festival,  we  may 
conclude  that  even  Thomas  needed  a  recess,  and 
took  it,  for  there  are  no  records  of  concerts  given 
by  him  for  three  weeks.  But  after  that  we  find 
him  taking  the  orchestra  to  the  West  again,  and 
giving  nightly  concerts  of  the  Summer  Night 
class  in  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Cleveland,  and 
Cincinnati  from  June  19,  to  August  26,  as  a  coda 
to  the  arduous  season  of  1881-82,  and  then,  at 
last,  he  allowed  himself  a  taste  of  pleasure  in  the 
quiet  enjoyment  of  his  home  and  family  at  the 
seashore,  for  a  few  weeks. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OCTOBER,     1882 — OCTOBER,     1885 

THOMAS  ELECTED    CONDUCTOR   OF   THE   NEW   YORK   LIEDER- 

KRANZ    SOCIETY PRODUCES    GOUNOD*S    "  REDEMPTION  " 

FIRST  TRANS-CONTINENTAL  TOUR  IN  1883 CHIL- 
DREN'S CONCERTS LETTERS  FROM  RICHARD  STRAUSS 

A  CONCERT  FOR  WORKINGMEN WAGNER  FESTIVAL  TOUR 

PROGRAMMES  OF  BOSTON  WAGNER  FESTIVAL PRO- 
POSAL OF  MAYOR  GRACE  AND  THREE  THOUSAND  OTHERS 
SECOND  TRANS-CONTINENTAL  TOUR  IN  1885 

EARLY  in  October  we  again  find  Thomas  back 
in  New  York,  and  busier  than  ever,  for  he  now 
added  to  his  other  choral  work  the  leadership  of 
the  New  York  Liederkranz  Society.  Indeed  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  believe  that  one  man  could 
accomplish  such  a  mountain  of  work  as  that  with 
which  Thomas  loaded  himself  down  during  the 
season  of  1882-83.  Some  idea  of  it  may  be 
gained  from  the  following  leaf  copied  from  his 
memoranda  of  concerts  and  rehearsals  during  the 
last  week  of  November: 

Nov.  20 — Chorus   rehearsal.  .  .Brooklyn 
"     21 — Chorus  rehearsal .  . .  Liederkranz 

u     aa I  Chorus   rehearsal.  New<  York 

I  Orch.    rehearsal.. Brooklyn  Philharmonic 

"     23 — Orch.  rehearsal Jersey  City 

u     a  * j  Concert ..Brooklyn   Phil,    (matinee) 

(Chorus  rehearsal. Liederkranz 

241 


242         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Nov.  25  —  Concert  ..........  .Brooklyn  Phil.  (Evening) 

u     a*  _  j  Concert  ........  Liederkranz 

1  Orch.    rehearsal..  New  York 


2fi  _  j 
~  ( 


(  Chorus  rehearsal.  Brooklyn 

(Orch.   rehearsal..  For  Reading  Concert 
Chorus   rehearsal.  Liederkranz 
Orch.   rehearsal..  For  Philadelphia 


From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  during 
the  eight  days  recorded,  Thomas  held  eleven  re- 
hearsals and  gave  three  concerts.  This  was  at  the 
beginning  of  the  season  before  things  were  really 
well  started.  Later  were  added  the  rehearsals  and 
concerts  of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Phil- 
harmonic Societies,  and  preparations  for  a  great 
spring  concert  tour,  which  kept  him  working  r.t 
high  pressure  literally  every  moment  of  his  wak- 
ing hours. 

The  most  important  musical  event  of  the  fall 
season  was  his  production  of  Gounod's  recently 
composed  work,  "  The  Redemption,"  of  which 
Thomas  had  secured  the  concert  rights  for 
America.  No  doubt  when  he  made  the  arrange- 
ment with  Gounod's  publishers  he  thought  it 
would  be  an  easy  matter  to  carry  it  out,  but  in 
this  he  found  himself  much  mistaken.  There 
was  a  tremendous  interest  in  the  work,  and  as 
chorus  copies  with  the  piano  score  were  easy  to 
get,  more  than  one  choral  society  learned  it, 
trusting  to  luck  to  get  the  orchestra  score  and 
parts  when  the  time  should  come  for  perform- 
ance. Thomas  had  agreed  to  pay  the  publishers  a 
royalty  of  two  hundred  dollars  every  time  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          243 

work  was  performed  from  the  genuine  score,  of 
which  he,  of  course,  had  the  only  copy  in  America. 
He,  therefore,  had  to  charge  the  same  rental  for 
its  use,  plus  the  expenses  of  transporting  it. 
These  expenses  were  very  large  because  he  could 
not  trust  so  valuable  a  work  to  the  careless  han- 
dling of  all  sorts  of  people,  and  had  to  send  his  own 
librarian  with  it  whenever  it  was  performed.  Of 
course  there  were  many  complaints  and  all  sorts 
of  trouble  in  connection  with  handling  the  work, 
including  even  one  lawsuit,  so  that  it  resulted 
in  a  loss  of  both  time  and  money  to  himself,  and 
the  only  satisfaction  he  got  out  of  it  was  the 
pleasure  of  being  the  first  to  produce,  in  America, 
a  great  choral  work,  fresh  from  the  hand  of  the 
most  renowned  of  the  French  composers  of  the 
day.  This  was,  however,  no  small  satisfaction  to 
him,  for  he  took  infinite  pains  all  his  life  to  be 
the  first  to  perform  the  music  of  all  nationalities, 
and  when  he  got  a  chance  to  bring  out  a  really 
important  work  of  any  kind,  it  was  an  event  of 
which  he  was  very  proud.  He  was  forever  on  the 
lookout  for  musical  novelties,  and  nothing  pleased 
him  more  than  to  find — as  often  happened — some 
work  included  in  the  list  of  novelties  in  Berlin  or 
Paris,  which  he  had  already  played  a  year  or  two 
previously  in  America. 

One  of  the  novelties  of  the  fall  of  1882  was  the 
Scandinavian  Symphony  of  the  English  composer, 
Frederic  Cowen,  who,  on  hearing  of  its  production 
sent  to  Thomas  the  following  pleasant  letter  of 
acknowledgment : 


244         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

LONDON,  Nov.  26,  1882. 
My  dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

I  have  just  heard  of  the  performance  of  my  Scandi- 
navian symphony  under  your  direction  in  New  York,  and 
I  hasten  to  send  you  these  few  lines  to  thank  you  sin- 
cerely for  your  kindness  in  making  the  work  known  to  the 
American  public.  That  you  should  have  taken  up  the 
symphony  spontaneously  is  to  me  sufficient  proof  that  you 
think  well  of  it,  and  that  is,  I  assure  you,  much  more 
gratifying  to  me  than  all  the  applause  of  the  public.  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  some  of  your  concerts  when  I 
was  in  the  States  in  '78  (when  I  was  introduced  to  you 
by  Mr.  Hassard),  and  I  feel  quite  sure  that  the  work  re- 
ceived an  interpretation  at  the  hands  of  your  orchestra 
under  your  guidance  which  perhaps  could  not  have  been 
excelled  by  any  other  orchestra  in  the  world,  not  even 
excepting  the  Vienna  Philharmonic. 

Once  more  pray  accept  my  heartiest  thanks,  and,  in 
the  hope  that  you  may  some  day  feel  disposed  favorably 
towards  some  of  my  other  works  (perhaps  my  sacred  can- 
tata, "  St.  Ursula,"  written  for  the  Munich  Festival  last 
year),  believe  me,  dear  sir, 

Yours  very  truly, 

FREDERIC  H.  COWEN. 

The  winter  and  early  spring  of  1883  were  de- 
voted to  preparing  and  giving  nine  sets  of  concerts 
in  New  York  and  vicinity,  which  were  as  follows: 

New  York  Philharmonic 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic 
Steinway  Hall  Popular 
Raphael  Joseffy  Concerts 
Orange  Symphony 
Philadelphia  Symphony 
Liederkranz  (Choral) 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         245 

New  York  and  Brooklyn  Chorus  Societies  (Choral) 
Jersey  City  Symphony 

In  addition  to  these  regular  series  of  concerts, 
he  conducted  a  large  number  of  single  perform- 
ances, one  of  which  was  given  in  January  for 
the  sufferers  by  inundations  in  Germany.  Thomas 
was  always  expected  to  give  a  concert  for  the 
benefit  of  sufferers  from  the  calamities  of  all 
nations,  or  when  any  special  fund  was  being 
raised  for  a  public  purpose,  and  in  this  way  he 
donated,  in  the  course  of  his  life,  many,  many 
thousands  of  dollars  to  every  imaginable  kind 
of  philanthropic  or  artistic  object.  In  this  con- 
nection I  am  reminded  of  one  other  musician 
whose  heart  is  always  ready  to  respond  to  such 
appeals — the  great-souled  Paderewski,  who  has 
never  come  to  America  without  leaving  a  large 
public  benefaction  to  art  or  philanthropy  behind 
him. 

For  the  spring  and  early  summer  Thomas 
planned  a  very  long  and  important  concert  tour, 
which  was  to  end  in  a  Summer  Night  season  in 
Chicago.  In  announcing  this  tour  the  Chicago 
Tribune  commented  as  follows: 

"  The  most  extensive  and  extraordinary  concert  tour 
ever  made  in  this  country  by  a  symphony  orchestra  will 
be  begun  by  Theodore  Thomas  on  April  26.  His  circuit 
includes  thirty  cities  and  seventy-four  concerts,  and 
reaches  from  Baltimore  to  San  Francisco.  On  the  route, 
festivals  will  be  held  in  Baltimore,  Pittsburg,  Louisville, 
Memphis,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis, 
San  Francisco,  Salt  Lake  City,  Denver,  and  Omaha.  For 


246          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

every  one  of  these  twelve  festivals,  a  chorus  has  been  or- 
ganized and  rehearsed,  the  smallest  comprising  380  voices, 
at  Minneapolis,  and  the  largest,  the  great  Mormon  Choir 
at  Salt  Lake  City,  of  three  thousand.  Besides  these  twelve 
festivals,  there  will  be  concerts  in  many  intermediate  cities. 
The  final  concert  of  this  extraordinary  tour,  which 
stretches  from  ocean  to  ocean,  will  be  at  Burlington,  Iowa, 
on  July  7.  .  .  .  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  every  one 
of  these  seventy-four  concerts  has  been  guaranteed  and 
the  money  raised  without  the  slightest  difficulty.  This 
shows  a  remarkable  interest  in  music  in  these  distant 
cities.  Out  of  all  this  enthusiasm  and  zeal  will  result  a 
decided,  healthy  impulse  for  music  in  this  country.  Hav- 
ing heard  this  splendid  body  of  musicians  under  so  great 
a  leader,  the  people  will  not  be  so  contented  as  heretofore 
with  trash.  They  will  demand  a  higher  standard  in  their 
home  performances,  and  in  every  direction  music  will  ad- 
vance to  a  higher  and  more  dignified  plane.  There  is  only 
one  cause  for  apprehension.  The  route  is  one  of  extraor- 
dinary length  and  duration.  For  three  months  Mr. 
Thomas  cannot  take  a  single  day  of  rest.  He  will  be  trav- 
eling or  conducting  almost  without  an  hour's  intermission, 
from  April  26  to  July  9.  His  health  has  not  been  of  the 
best  of  late,  and  this  trip  will  require  herculean  powers 
of  endurance.  It  would  be  appalling  to  almost  any  other 
musician.  In  what  trim,  therefore,  will  he  be  at  the  close 
of  this  march  from  sea  to  sea  ?  " 

No  one  who  has  not  personally  followed  the 
work  of  preparing  for  a  musical  festival  can  have 
any  idea  of  the  amount  of  detail  in  which  it 
involves  the  conductor.  First  he  must  select  the 
programmes  and  map  out  the  work  of  the  chorus 
and  its  local  director.  For  this,  editions  of  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         247 

works  to  be  performed  must  be  studied  and  com- 
pared with  the  score,  translations  revised,  cuts 
made,  mistakes  corrected  and,  if  possible,  personal 
rehearsals  conducted  from  time  to  time.  Often 
no  good  edition  of  a  choral  work  selected  is 
obtainable,  especially  if  it  is  an  excerpt  from  a 
long  composition,  such  as  an  opera  or  oratorio. 
In  this  case  the  music  has  to  be  arranged,  a  trans- 
lation of  the  words  made,  and  an  edition  especially 
printed  for  the  occasion.  After  the  chorus  work 
is  arranged  for,  comes  the  still  more  difficult  task 
of  apportioning  the  work  of  the  soloists.  The 
solo  artists  are  the  popular  "  drawing  card " 
of  a  festival,  and  are  depended  on,  not  only  to 
complete  the  artistic  unity  of  its  programmes,  but 
also  to  attract  the  general  public,  and  thus  dis- 
pose of  the  surplus  seats  not  sold  in  the  season 
ticket  sale.  For  this  reason  it  is  necessary  that 
each  programme  shall  have  its  own  star  attraction 
in  the  matter  of  soloists,  but  that  no  soloist  shall 
sing  in  two  consecutive  concerts.  Also,  as  great 
singers  are  human,  and  liable  to  the  ills  that  flesh 
is  heir  to,  there  must  be  an  "  understudy "  for 
every  number  of  every  singer,  ready  to  take  his 
or  her  part  at  a  moment's  notice,  in  case  of  sick- 
ness or  accident.  Finally,  the  orchestra  must  be 
prepared,  scores  corrected,  bowing  marked,  extra 
parts  copied,  and  diagrams  made  of  platforms  for 
both  chorus  and  orchestra,  and  the  seating  arrange- 
ments required  for  the  various  concerts.  There  are 
also  programmes  to  be  printed,  and  proofs  cor- 
rected, traveling  arrangements  to  be  made,  and 


248          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

schedules  of  the  time  of  the  arrival  and  departure 
of  trains,  and  the  hotels  where  the  troupe  is  to  stay 
in  each  city,  as  well  as  the  dates  and  hours  of  the 
concerts  and  the  halls  where  they  are  to  take  place. 
In  short  there  seems  to  be  no  end  to  the  multitude 
of  details  incident  to  this  class  of  musical  per- 
formance, and  Thomas  required  that  every  one 
of  them  should  be  passed  under  his  critical  eye, 
whether  attended  to  by  himself  or  by  one  of  his 
numerous  subordinate  officers. 

For  the  twelve  festivals  of  the  spring  of  1883, 
nearly  every  programme  was  different,  and  only  in 
a  few  instances  was  a  programme  given  in  one  city 
repeated  without  change  in  another.  Nothing 
illustrates  Thomas'  powers  of  organization  bet- 
ter than  this  tour  across  the  continent,  planned 
and  arranged  for,  in  all  its  hundreds  of  details, 
at  the  time  when  he  was  carrying  on  nine  distinct 
series  of  concerts  in  New  York  and  vicinity,  and 
conducting  three  chorus  societies  as  well  as  his 
own  orchestra.  And  so  thoroughly  was  the  work 
done  that  when  the  concerts  actually  took  place, 
one  after  the  other,  not  a  detail  was  lacking,  but 
in  every  city  each  performance  moved  along  with 
the  perfect  smoothness  and  certainty  which  char- 
acterized his  work  at  home. 

One  secret  of  his  achievements  in  this  respect, 
was  his  habit  of  keeping  a  little  memorandum 
book  always  in  his  pocket,  in  which  he  jotted  down 
every  detail  which  had  to  be  remembered.  As 
soon  as  an  item  was  attended  to,  it  was  imme- 
diately crossed  off.  These  little  books  tell  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


249 


story  of  his  life  day  by  day,  and  the  following 
is  a  page  copied  at  random  from  one  which  he 
carried  at  about  this  time: 


^^•"T^:**^^  : : 

^^t>Av*>~x^^>  v         /v^.L^*      *)  ST~  T"^Sr— ^._  /  _       ~~yJt'~A*jL*^.      •• 


. 

2*  - 


250          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

As  this  long  and  important  tour  neared  its 
close,  and  Thomas  and  his  orchestra  approached 
Chicago,  he  began  to  bethink  him  of  a  place  to 
live  in  during  the  five  weeks  of  summer  concerts 
in  that  city,  for  the  hotels  were  very  inferior 
there  at  that  time,  and  he  was  all  worn  out  with 
the  strain  and  fatigue  of  the  trip,  and  longed 
for  the  peace  and  quiet  of  a  home.  Some  years 
previously  he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  my 
sister  Amy  Fay  and  myself,  at  one  of  his 
Eastern  Symphony  Concerts  in  which  she  had 
made  her  American  debut,  as  pianist,  under  his 
leadership.  The  acquaintance  thus  professionally 
begun  had  been  continued  from  time  to  time,  as 
he  visited  Chicago,  and  gradually  included  other 
members  of  the  family,  for  we  were  all  ardently 
devoted  to  music,  and  more  or  less  connected  with 
the  musical  interests  of  the  city.  It  was  therefore 
natural  that  in  his  search  for  a  boarding  place 
in  a  private  house,  he  should  have  turned  to  us, 
and  towards  the  end  of  June  I  received  from  him 
the  following  letter: 

DENVEE,  COLO.,  June  23,  1883. 
My  dear  Miss  Fay: 

I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  do  something  for  me.  I  dis- 
like the  hotels  in  Chicago  so  much  that  I  dread  to  go  there 
at  all.  I  have  written  to  some  friends  to  try  to  secure 
rooms  for  me  elsewhere  if  possible,  but  they  never  suc- 
ceeded before  in  finding  anything  suitable,  and  probably 
will  not  this  time.  Then  it  occurred  to  my  mind  that  your 
sister,  Mrs.  Peirce,  told  me  last  year  that  she  could  have 
made  it  possible  to  have  accommodated  me  in  her  house. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          251 

Will  you  kindly  find  out  if  this  is  possible  this  year  and 
let  me  know? 

I  will  tell  you  what  I  need.  Two  rooms,  connecting,  one 
as  a  sitting-room,  the  other  to  sleep  in.  I  would  like  a 
bathroom,  but  would  be  satisfied  with  a  "  Sitzbad  "  in  my 
bedroom.  I  must  have  strong  coffee  (poison)  for  my 
breakfast,  and  plenty  of  meat  for  my  dinner.  Also  a 
little  cold  luncheon,  consisting  of  bread  and  meat,  after 
the  concert,  if  possible  in  my  room.  My  wine  I,  of  course, 
provide  for  myself.  I  receive  no  calls. 

There  may  be  one  drawback,  that  the  dinner  hour  is 
too  near  the  concert  for  me.  In  that  case  perhaps  I  could 
have  a  substantial  luncheon  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and 
a  bite  with  a  cup  of  tea  at  the  late  dinner  hour.  If  an- 
other room  is  to  be  had  anywhere,  I  would  like  it  for  my 
secretary,  or  for  my  orchestra  manager,  Mr.  Sachleben. 
In  return  for  giving  you  all  this  trouble  I  will  help  you 
with  the  winter  programmes  of  your  Amateur  Musical 
Club,  or  with  anything  else  in  which  I  can  be  of  service. 
Our  stay  in  Chicago  will  be  five  weeks,  and  I  inclose  the 
list  of  our  last  week  of  the  tour  that  you  may  know  where 
to  address  the  answer. 

Very  truly  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

The  reply  to  this  letter  was  in  the  affirmative, 
and  the  appointed  day  saw  Thomas  and  his  com- 
panion arrive  at  Mrs.  Peirce's  house  with  his 
accustomed  punctuality.  He  was  extremely  tired, 
but  nevertheless  cheerful  and  happy,  and  ap- 
parently none  the  worse  for  his  long  and  hard 
trip,  and  a  few  days  in  the  quiet  comfort  of  a 
well-ordered  home  put  him  into  his  normal  state 
of  physical  well-being.  After  this  sojourn  in  my 


252          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

sister's  house,  all  formality  between  Thomas  and 
the  Fay  family  naturally  vanished,  and,  as  the 
years  went  on,  the  tie  then  formed  drew  ever 
closer  and  closer  until,  at  last,  it  became  the 
dominating  influence  of  the  closing  period  of  his 
career. 

Another  friendship  which  had  an  important 
influence  on  all  of  Thomas'  Western  life,  and 
which  began  to  mature  into  a  closer  relation  than 
that  of  mere  acquaintanceship  at  about  this  period, 
was  with  George  P.  Upton.  He  had  long  known 
Mr.  Upton  in  a  formal  way,  as  a  gifted  and  able 
writer,  and  a  learned,  discriminating  critic  of 
music  and  musicians.  Now,  as  he  came  to  know 
him  more  intimately,  he  found  him  to  be,  not 
only  a  sincere  and  earnest  man,  but  one  who, 
although  the  musical  autocrat  of  one  of  the 
most  powerful  American  newspapers,  was  as  un- 
assuming as  he  was  influential,  and  used  his  com- 
manding position  on  the  press,  not  for  his  own 
advantage,  but  for  the  furtherance  of  art  in  its 
highest  sense.  Chicago  music  to-day  owes  a  debt 
of  gratitude  to  George  P.  Upton  which  should 
never  be  forgotten,  and  which,  owing  to  his 
own  self-effacing  modesty,  is  but  imperfectly 
realized  by  the  present  generation  which  is  reap- 
ing the  harvest  he  helped  to  sow. 

The  Chicago  Summer  Night  Concert  season  was 
a  mere  bagatelle  to  Thomas,  after  the  labors  of 
the  preceding  year,  and  partook  of  the  nature 
of  almost  a  rest.  At  its  close  he  went  to  Mil- 
waukee for  a  short  series  of  concerts,  and  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          253 

following  letter,  announcing  his  arrival,  well  ex- 
presses the  effervescing  joyousness  of  his  mood 
as  the  time  drew  near  in  which  he  could  throw 
off  his  heavy  professional  cares  and  enjoy  a  vaca- 
tion with  his  family: 

MILWAUKEE,  August  14,  1883. 
Dear  Miss  Fay: 

Milwaukee  again !  The  weather  is  very  cold  here,  and 
everybody  is  wearing  winter  clothes — at  least  all  those 
who  have  any,  I  suppose,  for  I  saw  a  cadet  having  on  a 
linen  duster,  who  evidently  possessed  a  warm  imagination ! 
The  sudden  cold  weather  affects  the  pitch  of  the  orchestra, 
and  the  light  was  very  poor  at  the  concert  last  night,  so 
I  was  thoroughly  MAD  by  the  time  we  got  to  the  second 
piece  on  the  programme.  The  third  piece  was  the 
Allegretto  from  the  Seventh  Beethoven  Symphony,  which 
of  course  suffered  under  the  circumstances,  but  the  fourth 
and  close  of  the  first  part  was  the  Liszt  Rhapsody,  which 
gained  under  the  influence  of  temper  and  angry  feeling. 
(A  conundrum,  which  is  the  best  piece  of  music?  Ask 
your  friend  Mr.  Jones.)  The  public  became  very  enthusi- 
astic and  made  a  noise  in  turn,  but  I  did  not  thank  for 
their  noise,  so  they  got  mad  and  I  became  tranquil,  after 
which  the  playing  improved. 

I  did  not  sit  so  long  at  breakfast  this  morning  as  at 
Mrs.  Peirce's,  but  the  meal  was  good  even  after  her  table, 
but  not  so  refined.  My  coffee,  a  pot  strong  and  good, 
was  brought  for  me  without  asking,  the  people  remember- 
ing from  former  years  how  I  like  it,  a  waiter  of  old,  and  a 
table  reserved  for  a  "  particular  private  boarder,"  with 
extra  and  particular  care  arrayed,  plates,  and  silverware. 
You  will  say  "  he  is  getting  spoiled  there  as  everywhere 
else." 


254         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

If  you  want  me  to  come  to  breakfast  on  my  way  through 
Chicago  next  Sunday  morning,  you  will  have  to  send  me 
an  invitation  signed  by  the  whole  family,  for  I  was  treated 
at  times  rather  plainly  by  Fraulein  Lili,  not  to  call  it  by 
any  other  name.  Think  of  it!  however,  I  am  forgiving. 
Give  my  warmest  regards  to  S.  and  F.,  not  forgetting 
Mr.  X.,  who  always  looked  at  me  like  a  dog,  growling 
and  waiting  for  a  chance  to  get  a  piece  out  of  my  calf! 
Well,  I  forgive  them  also,  and  perhaps  they  forgive  me 
since  I  am  gone — that  old  Thomas. 

Sincerely, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

The  delicate  health  of  Mrs.  Thomas,  and  his 
desire  to  give  his  children  the  advantages  of 
some  European  study  and  travel,  had  decided 
Thomas  to  send  his  entire  family  to  Europe  for 
a  couple  of  years,  immediately  after  the  New 
York  festival.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  Mil- 
waukee season  was  over  he  sailed  for  Europe 
and  spent  his  vacation  with  them  there.  Thomas 
led  so  busy  a  life  that  he  had  very  little  time  to 
devote  to  intercourse  with  his  family.  But  in 
his  rare  moments  of  leisure,  or  during  his  summer 
vacations,  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  pleasures  of 
home  life  unreservedly,  and  was  so  gay,  joyous, 
and  full  of  fun  that  he  was  more  like  an  older 
brother  than  a  father  to  his  children.  His  idea 
of  a  good  time  was  to  collect  all  his  family  around 
him,  exclude  the  world,  and  have  some  sort  of  a 
feast,  with  all  kinds  of  fun  and  nonsense,  and 
ceremonies,  many  and  various,  which  he  had  care- 
fully planned  beforehand,  to  give  zest  to  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          255 

occasion.  At  such  times  he  would  exert  all  his 
charm  of  personality  to  make  the  hours  pass  de- 
lightfully, and  only  then  did  he  permit  himself 
to  cast  aside  the  mantle  of  reserve  in  which  he 
habitually  wrapped  his  inner  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings before  the  world. 

His  stay  in  Europe  was  very  brief,  and  by 
early  fall  he  had  again  returned  to  New  York, 
and  plunged  into  a  season  of  which  the  concerts 
followed  each  other  with  hardly  a  day  of  inter- 
mission until  July,  and  included  a  Wagner  Festi- 
val tour  of  the  largest  dimensions  at  its  close.  All 
thought  of  pleasure  was  now  banished  from  his 
mind  and  he  was  again  the  stern,  intensely  serious 
artist,  concentrating  all  his  powers  on  his 
work.  During  the  late  fall  he  made  a  short 
tour  in  the  South,  and  the  following  letter,  writ- 
ten on  that  trip,  gives  a  glimpse  of  his  busy 
life: 

ATLANTA,  GA.,  December  2,  1883. 
Dear  Miss  Fay: 

Yours  of  November  24  received  yesterday.  I  certainly 
meant  to  have  written  you  long  ago,  but  you  cannot  un- 
derstand the  amount  of  work  I  am  loaded  with  this  year. 
I  had  determined  to  free  myself  from  certain  engage- 
ments, such  as  chorus  societies  in  New  York,  and  some 
other  matters  not  belonging  to  my  specialty.  But  in  every 
case  personal  influences  were  brought  to  bear  that  I  felt 
I  must  yield  to,  or  at  least  I  did,  at  the  risk  of  ruining  my 
health.  It  is  a  serious  question  that  I  am  at  present  not 
able  to  solve.  I  have  a  secretary  who  assists  me  much, 
and  other  helpers  who  keep  every-day  matters  off  of  me, 


256         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

nevertheless  I  have  not  had  a  moment  to  myself  since  I 
returned  from  Europe. 

In  Europe  I  did  not  find  the  expected  rest  on  account 
of  the  many  discomforts  of  traveling.  I  hate  the  Conti- 
nent, and  that  is  much  for,  me  to  say,  and  I  would  never 
go  over  again  but  for  my  family.  This  country  is  good 
enough  for  me.  Here  in  the  sunny  South,  however,  I 
have  been  sick  for  the  last  two  days  from  overwork  and 
poor  food. 

To  me  the  future  does  not  look  dark,  but  only  like  an 
idle  dream.  I  have  not  had  the  good  fortune  of  a  Chris- 
tian education  to  sweeten  my  life.  Believe  me  always 

Truly  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

While  in  Europe,  the  previous  summer,  Thomas 
had,  as  usual,  been  on  the  lookout  for  musical 
novelties  for  coming  programmes.  He  had  met, 
in  Munich,  a  young  and  almost  unknown  com- 
poser, one  Richard  Strauss,  who  had  recently  fin- 
nished  writing  a  symphony.  Thomas  secured  the 
first  movement  of  the  work,  and  was  so  much  im- 
pressed with  it  that  he  requested  young  Strauss  to 
let  him  have  the  other  movements,  promising  to 
bring  out  the  whole  work  in  a  concert  of  the 
Philharmonic  Society.  In  answer  to  his  request, 
he  received  the  following  interesting  letter: 

MUNICH,  Sept.  20,  1883. 
ME.  THEODOEE  THOMAS. 

Highly  honored  sir: 

As  I  was  unfortunately  unable  to  welcome  you  here  this 
summer — having  only  learned  of  your  presence  in  Munich 
from  Mr.  Lockwood  on  the  eve  of  your  departure — I  must 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          257 

not  neglect  to  express  to  you  in  writing  my  heartiest  and 
warmest  thanks  for  your  kind  intention  to  give  my  sec- 
ond symphony  the  great  honor  of  a  New  York  perform- 
ance. My  father  also  wishes  to  be  remembered  to  you,  and 
joins  me  in  thanking  you  in  advance. 

According  to  your  request,  I  have  had  the  score  of  the 
three  movements  not  already  known  to  you  written  out, 
and  also  single  parts  of  the  string  quartette,  and  have 
already  corrected  them.  I  must  ask  you  to  kindly  paste 
the  two  inclosed  changes  in  the  Scherzo  into  your  score. 
I  have  made  these  changes  for  harmonic  reasons,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  too  strong  predominance  of  the  C  minor  key 
in  the  Ab  major  Scherzo.  The  number  of  measures  is 
indicated  on  the  back  of  the  slip.  In  the  parts  the  changes 
have  already  been  made. 

Thanking  you  again  most  sincerely,  and  begging  you  to 
remember  me  to  your  family,  I  remain,  with  the  highest 
esteem, 

Your  ever  grateful 

RICHAED  STRAUSS. 


The  symphony  was  received  too  late  for 
Thomas  to  perform  it  during  the  season  of  1883- 
84,  but  on  December  13  of  the  following  winter, 
he  fulfilled  his  promise,  and  gave  it  its  first  Ameri- 
can performance,  as  we  shall  see  later. 

The  early  months  of  1884  were  only  a  continua- 
tion of  the  regular  routine,  but  two  new  features 
were  added.  These  were  a  series  of  concerts 
especially  designed  for  young  people,  planned  by 
a  number  of  New  York  women,  and  a  series  for 
workingmen  inaugurated  by  a  society  named 
"  The  People's  Concert  Society,"  an  organization 


258          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

founded  for  the  philanthropic  purpose  of  giving 
the  best  class  of  music  to  working  people,  free  of 
charge. 

Thomas  was,  at  first,  interested  in  both  of  these 
projects,  and  even  in  after  years  he  was  always 
willing  to  lend  his  aid  to  such  work,  but  a  little 
experience  taught  him  that  neither  children  nor 
what  are  called  "  wage-workers  "  were  sufficiently 
advanced  intellectually  to  be  able  to  appreciate  the 
class  of  music  which  was  his  specialty.  "  Sym- 
phonic music,"  he  once  said,  in  speaking  of  these 
concerts,  "  is  the  highest  flower  of  art.  Only 
the  most  cultivated  persons  are  able  to  understand 
it.  How,  then,  can  we  expect  the  ignorant  or  the 
immature  mind  to  grasp  its  subtleties?  The  kind 
of  music  suitable  for  them  is  that  which  has  very 
clearly-defined  melody  and  well-marked  rhythms, 
such,  for  instance,  as  is  played  by  the  best  bands. 
The  orchestra,  with  its  unlimited  palette,  whereby 
the  modern  composer  paints  in  every  shade  and 
gradation  of  tone  color,  as  well  as  the  complexities 
of  symphonic  form,  are  far  beyond  the  grasp  of 
beginners.  There  should  be,  it  is  true,  concerts  for 
these  classes,  which  would  prepare  them  for  the 
higher  grade  of  musical  performances.  But  it  is 
waste  of  time  for  a  great  symphony  orchestra  to  do 
this  work,  which  could  be  equally  well  accomplished 
by  smaller  and  less  costly  organizations.  In  my 
judgment  an  orchestra,  such  as  mine,  can  be  of 
more  service  to  the  community  by  selling  a  certain 
number  of  twenty-five-cent  tickets  to  all  its  con- 
certs, for  the  benefit  of  students  and  other 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          259 

music-lovers  of  small  means,  than  by  giving  an 
occasional  free  concert  to  people  who  can  only 
enjoy  it  in  a  limited  degree."  Thomas  was, 
nevertheless,  very  willing  to  try  the  experiment, 
and  he  must  have  found  that  some  good  resulted 
from  the  series  for  young  people,  at  least,  for  he 
continued  them,  off  and  on,  all  the  rest  of  his  life. 
A  programme  is  given  from  each  class  as  an 
example  of  the  music  which  he  thought  suitable 
for  audiences  of  these  kinds : 

YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  CONCERT 

Steinway  Hall,  February  2,  1884 
Programme 

Overture,  "  Jubilee  " , ,...,.  ...  .1.  .Weber 

Andante  from  the  "  Surprise  "  Symphony Haydn 

Aria,  "  Batti,  batti,"  Don  Giovanni Mozart 

Miss  Emma  Juch 
Symphonic  Poem,  "  Rouet  d'Omphale  ".....  Saint  Saens 

(a)  Humoreske. .  ...  ., •.  .  ., Grieg 

(b)  Minuet Moskowsky 

Miss  Mary  Garlichs 

Cavatina,  "  Bel  ragio,"  Semiramis >.  .  .  .Rossini 

Miss  Juch 

Minuet  .. .  ., ,.  .  .1.  ....  .Boccherini 

Overture,  "The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor  ".....  Nicolai 

WORKINGMEN'S  CONCERT 

Steinway  Hall,  February  24,  1884 

Programme 
Prelude,  Choral  and  Fugue  (arranged  for  orchestra 

by  Abert) .-.  ., Bach 


260         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Song,  "  Am  Meer  "  (for  orchestra  by  Theo.  Thomas), 

Schubert 
Mr.  Franz  Remmertz 

Symphony  No.  5.  . .  . .  .  .  . Beethoven 

Overture,  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  ".  .1.  .Mendelssohn 

Song,  "  The  Two  Grenadiers  " Schubert 

Mr.  Remmertz 
Invitation  to  the  Dance  (orchestration  by  Berlioz), 

Weber 
Overture,  Rienzi .Wagner 

Until  the  middle  of  April,  Thomas  was  kept 
busy  by  his  many  home  engagements,  and  by  the 
preparations  for  the  great  spring  Wagner  Festival 
Tour,  already  alluded  to,  which  was  to  begin  at 
Boston,  on  April  22,  and  end  in  Montreal  on 
June  28.  All  things  considered,  this  was,  artist- 
ically, the  most  important  concert  tour  he  ever 
made,  as  well  as  one  of  the  longest.  It  consisted 
of  about  seventy  consecutive  concerts,  nearly  all 
of  which  were  festival  performances,  and,  as  usual, 
very  few  of  the  programmes  were  repeated 
literally,  though  Wagner's  music  was  the  chief 
ingredient  of  which  most  of  them  were  composed. 
As  in  the  tour  of  the  previous  spring,  choruses 
had  been  trained  in  every  city  in  which  these  per- 
formances were  to  be  given,  and  their  expenses 
guaranteed.  The  soloists  were  Wagner's  three 
most  important  Baireuth  artists — Emil  Scaria, 
bass;  Hermann  Winkelmann,  tenor,  and  Amalia 
Materna,  soprano — as  well  as  Christine  Nilsson, 
Emma  Juch,  Max  Heinrich,  Franz  Remmertz, 
and  others.  The  preparatory  work  of  this  tour 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          261 

was  almost  too  much  for  even  Thomas,  and  the 
following  note,  scratched  off  so  hurriedly  that  it  is 
hardly  legible,  was  the  only  word  we  had  from 
him  during  the  entire  winter: 

NEW  YOEK,  March  31,  1884. 
Dear  Miss  Fay : 

Your  letter  I  have  duly  received.  All  I  can  do  at  pres- 
ent is  to  acknowledge  it,  when  the  time  comes  that  I  can 
breathe  again  I  will  write.  At  present  I  am  not  only 
occupied  day  and  night,  but  have  constantly  about  me 
six  men,  sitting  in  different  rooms  in  my  house  correcting 
and  copying  orchestral  parts  for  the  spring  tour.  The 
orchestral  rehearsals  and  piano  rehearsals  have  begun,  and 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  every  twenty-four  hours  I 
have  enough  work  to  do  to  kill  the  average  man.  The 
singers  are  on  the  ocean,  and  to-day  week  the  first  concert 
belongs  to  history. 

Yours  hastily, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

A  still  more  eloquent  witness  to  the  labors  of 
this  season  is  the  book  in  which  he  habitually 
entered  with  his  own  hand,  and  with  the  most 
absolute  accuracy  of  detail,  every  programme  he 
conducted,  in  chronological  order.  During  this 
season  the  programmes  are  written  in  another 
hand,  and  are  so  full  of  errors  that  no  reliance 
can  be  placed  upon  them,  showing  that  Thomas 
did  not  even  have  time  to  read  over  and  correct 
them.  This  was  something  unheard  of  for  him, 
for  he  kept  the  book  for  reference,  and  was  so 
particular  to  have  it  accurate  that  he  never  even 


262          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

omitted  or  abbreviated  the  words  "  Programme," 
or  "  Intermission,"  or  failed  to  write  out  in  full 
all  the  movements  of  symphonies,  suites,  etc.,  as 
well  as  the  names  and  initials  of  the  soloists,  the 
opus  numbers,  and  every  other  smallest  detail. 

The  most  important  festivals  of  this  tour  were 
those  of  Boston,  New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  Chi- 
cago. The  concerts  of  the  first  named  were  given 
in  the  Mechanics'  Hall,  and  were  on  the  largest 
scale.  The  chorus  was  the  Haendel  and  Haydn 
Society,  reinforced  by  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn 
choruses,  and  the  programmes  are  given  in  full, 
as  they  are  typical  of,  not  only  the  Wagner 
"  Festival  Programmes,"  which  Thomas  gave  in 
the  above-named  cities  during  this  season,  but  of 
similar  programmes  given  throughout  his  life  in 
all  parts  of  the  country: 

WAGNER  FESTIVAL  CONCERTS 

Mechanics'  Hall,  April  22,  1884 

BOSTON 

Programme  I 
TANNHAEUSER 

(a)  Overture,  Bacchanale,  Chorus  of  Sirens,  Act  I 

(b)  Scenes  I,  II,  III,  Act  II 

(c)  March  and  Chorus 

Frau  Materna,  Herren  Winkelmann,  Remmertz, 
Scaria,  and  Chorus 

Intermission 
DIE  WALKUERE 

(a)  Ride  of  the  Walkyries 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          263 

(b)  Wotan's  Farewell,  Act  III 

(c)  Magic  Fire  Scene 

Herr  Scaria 
SIEGFRIED 

Finale,  Act  III — Siegfried's  Wooing 

Frau  Materna,  Herr  Winkelmann 

Programme  II 

CENTENNIAL  EXHIBITION  MARCH 
TRISTAN  AND  ISOLDE 

(a)  Vorspiel,  Act  I 

(b)  Love-duo  and  Finale,  Act  II 

Frau  Materna,  Miss  Juch,  Herren  Winkelmann 
and  Scaria 

Intermission 

DIE  MEISTERSINGER.    ACT  III 

(a)  Prelude 

(b)  Sachs'  Monologue 

(c)  Quintet 

(d)  Chorus  of  Cobblers,  Tailors,  and  Bakers 

(e)  Dance  of  Apprentices 

(f )  Procession  of  Mastersingers 

(g)  Chorus,  "Awake!" 
(h)  Prize  Song  and  Finale 

Misses  Juch  and  Winant,  Herren  Winkelmann, 
Toedt,  Scaria,  Remmertz,  and  Chorus 

Programme  III 

THE  FLYING  DUTCHMAN 

(a)  Overture 

(b)  Introduction,  Spinning  Song  and  Ballade,  Act  II 

Misses  Juch,  Winant,  and  Chorus 


264,         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

DIE  MEISTERSINGEE 

(a)  Vorspiel,  Act  I 

(b)  Pogner's  Address 

Herr  Scaria 

GOETTEEDAEMMEEUNG.      ACT   III.       (Complete) 

Frau  Materna,  Herren  Winkelmann,  Remmertz, 
Toedt,  Mrs.  Hartdegen,  Misses  Juch  and 
Winant 

Programme  IV 

HULDIGUNG'S  MAESCH 
LOHENGEIN 

(a)  Prelude,  Act  I 

(b)  Grand  Duo,  Elsa  and  Ortrude     |   .      __ 

(c)  Bridal  Procession,  and  Chorus  j 

(d)  Introduction 

(e)  Chorus,  "  Faithful  and  True  " 

(f)  Grand  Duo,  Lohengrin  and  Elsa 

(g)  March 

Madame  Nilsson,  Frau  Materna,  Herr  Winkel- 
mann, and  Chorus 
PAESIFAL 

(a)  Vorspiel,  Act  I 

(b)  Flower-girl  Scene,  Kundry's  Solicitations,  Act  II 

(c)  Good   Friday    Spell,    Funeral   Procession,  Finale, 

Act  III 

Frau  Materna,  Herren  Winkelmann,  Remmertz, 
Scaria,  Mrs.  Hartdegen,  Mrs.  Denniston, 
Misses  Sims,  Earle,  Zelie  de  Lussan,  and 
Hirsch;  New  York  Chorus  Society  and 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Chorus 

Programme  V 
RHEINGOLD          <, 

(a)  Alberich  and  the  Rhine-Maidens 

(b)  Wotan  beholds  Walhalla 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         265 

(c)  Loge's  Narrative 

(d)  The  Rainbow  Bridge  and  Maidens'  Lament 
Misses  Juch  and  Winant,  Mrs.  Hartdegen,  Her- 

ren  Remmertz,  Scaria,  and  Toedt 
Dm  WALKUERE 

(a)  Introduction 

(b)  Siegmund  and  Sieglinde,  Love-song  and  I 

Duo 

(c)  Ride  of  the  Walkyries  } 

(d)  Bruennhilde's  Supplication  V  Act  III 

(e)  Wotan's  Farewell  and  Magic  Fire  Scene  ) 
Frau  Materna,  Herren  Winkelmann  and  Scaria 


The  tour  thus  brilliantly  inaugurated  in  Boston 
was  continued,  without  any  untoward  happenings, 
to  its  close  in  Montreal  on  June  28.  While  in  this 
city  he  received  the  following  letter  from  the  emi- 
nent English  composer,  Alexander  Mackenzie,  a 
number  of  whose  works  he  had  produced  from  time 
to  time : 

FLORENCE,  ITALY,  June  17,  1884. 
My  dear  Mr.  Thomas: 

I  think  it  is  hardly  needful  for  me  to  introduce  myself 
to  you,  since  one  of  the  objects  of  this  letter  is  to  thank 
you  for  introducing  me  to  a  great  many  people!  It  has 
been  my  intention  to  write  to  you  for  a  long  time,  but 
during  my  recent  stay  in  London  my  time  was  so  much 
occupied  that  I  preferred  to  postpone  doing  so  until  I 
returned  to  my  home  in  Italy.  I  arrived  here  only  two 
days  ago,  and  am  already  making  up  for  much  lost  time, 
and  am  again  in  the  midst  of  the  pleasant  agonies  of 
composition ! 


266          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

First  let  me  thank  you  most  cordially  for  the  trouble 
you  have  given  yourself  with  some  of  my  works,  and  for 
the  great  service  you  have  already  rendered  me  by  your 
performances  in  America.  I  am  fully  sensible  of  the  bene- 
fit you  have  done  me,  and  I  hope  the  result  justified  your 
choice.  I  confess  I  am  very  ambitious  to  be  heard  in 
America,  and  these  performances  make  me  the  more 
anxious  to  produce  better  work  in  the  future. 

At  present  I  shall  remain  here  until  the  first  of  October, 
when  I  return  to  London  for  a  short  time  to  bring  out  my 
"  Rose  of  Sharon."  As  I  passed  through  Paris  last  week 
I  rehearsed  with  Miss  Nevada,  who  is  cast  for  the  princi- 
pal soprano  part.  I  should  say  that  her  innocent,  almost 
childlike  voice  will  be  quite  adapted  to  the  character  of 
the  Sulamite,  and  I  am  hatching  hopes  of  a  success. 

I  heard  with  great  pleasure  that  the  oratorio  had  been 
already  accepted  by  you,  and  that  an  early  performance 
was  already  decided  upon.  There  is  a  great  deal  for  the 
soprano  and  a  great  lot  of  chorus  work;  in  fact,  the 
chorus,  although  I  think  there  are  no  difficulties,  have 
their  work  cut  out  for  them  as  far  as  quantity  is  con- 
cerned. The  book  is,  it  is  agreed  by  all  who  have  seen 
it,  a  very  fine  one,  and  has  the  merit  of  being  something 
new  in  oratorio. 

I  am  now  occupying  myself  with  a  violin  concerto,  for 
the  Birmingham  Festival,  and  a  new  opera  for  Carl 
Rosa,  after  that — well,  the  easel  is  full,  but  luckily  I  have 
been  able  to  make  more  liberal  terms  as  to  time  than 
hitherto,  and  for  me  I  hope  there  will  be  no  more  hurry, 
and  writing  against  time,  which  is  the  bane  of  our  present 
musical  system  in  England. 

Pardon  me  for  having  chattered  so  much  about  myself 
in  this,  my  introduction  to  you — it  is  not  my  usual  wont. 
I  follow  your  concerts  and  musical  doings  by  means  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          267 

the  various  musical  papers,  and  delight  in  reading  your 
programmes,  which  are  amazing  in  every  respect.  .  .  . 
I  trust  that  at  no  distant  period  I  may  have  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  you  in  person,  and  in  the  meantime  permit  me 
to  thank  you  once  more. 
Believe  me,  my  dear  Sir, 

Most  faithfully  yours, 

ALEXANDER  C.  MACKENZIE. 

As  soon  as  this  concert  tour  was  ended, 
Thomas  joined  his  family  for  a  long  summer  of 
rest  and  enjoyment  in  Europe,  and  when  he  re- 
turned in  the  fall,  he  brought  them  back  with  him 
to  the  house  in  East  Seventeenth  Street,  which  had 
been  their  home  since  their  return  from  Cincinnati. 

Thomas  was  soon  in  harness  again,  and  giving 
a  concert  or  two  nearly  every  day.  But  he  seems 
to  have  felt  the  need  of  a  mental  rest  after  the 
severe  labors  of  the  two  preceding  years,  for,  dur- 
ing the  winter  season  of  1884-85,  he  gave  no  festival 
performances,  and  embarked  upon  no  musical 
schemes  of  great  magnitude,  but  contented  him- 
self with  his  regular  work  at  home,  as  conductor 
of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Philharmonic 
Societies,  the  three  Choral  Societies,  and  his  many 
concerts  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  New  York. 
The  most  interesting  event  of  the  winter,  though 
it  did  not  appear  to  have  any  unusual  significance 
at  the  time,  was  his  production,  in  December,  of 
the  Strauss  symphony,  already  alluded  to.  If  I 
am  not  mistaken,  Thomas  was  the  first  to  play 
it  either  in  America  or  Europe.  It  scored  an  im- 
mediate success,  and  was  given  many  times  by 


268          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  leading  conductors  of  Europe,  within  a  short 
time  afterwards.  The  young  composer  was  very- 
anxious  in  regard  to  this  first  performance  of  a 
work  so  important  to  him.  Thomas  did  not 
immediately  find  the  time  to  write  him  the  good 
news  about  it,  but  one  of  those  delightful 
"  friends,"  whose  sweet  privilege  it  is  to  repeat 
disagreeable  things  to  one,  immediately  sent  poor 
Strauss  a  very  bad  notice,  clipped  from  one  of  the 
New  York  papers.  This  distressed  Strauss  so 
much  that  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to 
Thomas : 

MUNICH,  Jem.  2,  1884. 
Highly  Honored  Mr.  Thomas: 

To-day,  for  the  first  time,  I  got  some  sign  of  life  from 
the  performance  of  my  symphony  in  New  York,  in,  it 
must  be  confessed,  a  very  bad  criticism  of  my  work  from 
I  do  not  know  what  paper.  This,  combined  with  your 
absolute  silence  in  regard  to  the  performance,  points  to 
the  certainty  that  my  work  has  made  a  fiasco  in  New 
York.  This,  however,  will  not  prevent  me  from  express- 
ing to  you,  much  honored  sir,  my  fullest,  deepest,  and 
most  hearty  thanks  that  you  had  the  extraordinary  good- 
ness to  present  my  symphony  to  the  New  York  public. 
It  is  principally  on  your  account  that  I  deplore  the  non- 
success  of  the  work,  and  regret  that  your  remarkable 
kindness  was  not  rewarded  by  the  applause  of  the  critics. 
I  console  myself  for  the  failure  of  my  symphony  with 
the  critics  and  public,  with  the  thought  that  the  judg- 
ment of  the  musicians  was  favorable  to  me  (which  I  care 
most  for)  and  especially  that  you,  most  honored  sir, 
considered  my  work  worthy  of  production  in  your  con- 
certs. It  would  be  very  friendly  if  you  would  write  me 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          269 

a  few  lines  giving  me  your  own  judgment  of  the  perform- 
ance, and  your  exact  opinion  of  my  work,  adding,  per- 
haps, a  few  criticisms  of  it.  At  the  same  time,  I  beg  of 
you  to  express  my  sincere  thanks  to  your  orchestra,  and 
believe  me  always  gratefully 

Your  devoted 

RICHAED  STBAUSS. 

The  next  letter  was  in  a  different  strain,  and 
shows  that  the  young  giant  had,  in  the  meantime, 
already  taken  some  strides  towards  the  Olympus 
he  reached  in  later  life: 

MUNICH,  April  12,  1885. 
Honored  Mr.  Thomas  : 

The  joy  your  delightful  letter  gave  to  me  and  mine  you 
can  scarcely  conceive;  it  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  happiest  surprises  that  I  could  possibly  have  had! 
Receive  therefore,  once  more,  my  warmest  thanks  for 
bringing  out  my  work  in  New  York,  as  well  as  for  so 
kindly  sending  me  the  good  news  of  its  success.  Your  own 
extremely  flattering  opinion  of  it  increased  my  pleasure, 
if  that  were  possible.  The  criticisms  I  had  received  of 
it  were  not  of  a  nature  to  allow  me  to  indulge  in  the  hope 
of  success,  taken  as  the  only  ones.  With  one  exception 
they  were  all  so  ordinary  and  superficial  that  they  pointed 
to  failure  rather  than  success.  That  the  latter  was  the 
case,  rejoices  my  heart,  especially  on  your  account,  as  it 
was  a  dreadful  thought  to  me  that  my  work  might  have 
brought  discredit  on  you. 

As  you  have  perhaps  heard,  Dr.  Wuellner  brought  out 
the  work  a  month  later  in  Cologne,  and  there  it  had  an 
extraordinary  success,  with  both  critics  and  public.  I  my- 
self heard  the  work  there  for  the  first  time.  Here  in 
Munich  it  will  be  given  next  winter,  without  doubt. 


270          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Your  kind  offer  to  conduct  my  next  orchestral  work 
in  New  York  I  accept  with  the  most  cordial  thanks,  and  will 
surely  avail  myself  of  it.  In  the  way  of  new  things  I  have 
lately  worked  at  a  Suite  in  four  movements  (Prelude, 
Romanze,  Gavotte,  Introduction,  and  Fugue)  for  the 
thirteen  wind  instruments,  and  a  piano  quartette.  Just  at 
present  I  am  busy  with  a  chorus  work,  Werther's 
"  Trauerlied,"  by  Goethe,  for  six-part  chorus  and  grand 
orchestra. 

My  father  begs  to  be  remembered  to  you,  with  thanks, 
and  I  remain 

Your  most  respectful  and  grateful 

RICHAED  STEAUSS. 

The  gratitude  of  this  great  composer  for  the 
recognition  given  him  by  Thomas  was  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  egotism  and  greed  of  Wagner,  for 
whose  art  Thomas  had  done  so  infinitely  greater 
a  service.  Strauss  never  forgot  the  helping  hand 
thus  held  out  to  him  when  he  was  young  and  un- 
known, or  lost  an  opportunity,  as  long  as  Thomas 
lived,  to  express  his  appreciation. 

In  January  of  this  year  Thomas  received  a 
letter  signed  by  the  Mayor  of  New  York,  and 
3,000  citizens,  which  seemed  to  promise,  at  last, 
the  fulfillment  of  his  long-deferred  hopes  for  a 
permanently  endowed  orchestra.  It  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

NEW  YOEK,  January  1,  1885. 
ME.  THEODOEE  THOMAS. 

Dear  Sir: 

For  the  promotion  of  musical  culture  in  this  country, 
the  undersigned  are  desirous  of  having  a  series  of  weekly 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          271 

concerts  and  matinees  similar  to  those  which  are  so  suc- 
cessfully given  in  the  great  cities  of  Europe — London, 
Paris,  and  Berlin — and  recognizing  your  eminent  services 
in  the  cause  of  music  in  the  past,  may  we  beg  that  you 
will  undertake  the  same,  and  communicate  to  us  at  your 
earliest  convenience  your  decision,  and  at  the  same  time 
favor  us  with  your  views  as  to  the  character  and  scope  of 
the  concerts,  as  we  have  ample  assurance  of  financial 
success  in  case  of  your  acceptance. 
We  are,  dear  sir, 

Yours  etc., 

WILLIAM  R.  GRACE, 

Mayor  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
and  3,000  others. 

To  this  letter  Thomas  sent  the  following  answer: 

NEW  YORK,  January  3,  1885. 
The  Hon.  William  R.  Grace,  Mayor  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  3,000  Others: 

Your  proposal  of  two  weekly  concerts  in  this  city  dur- 
ing the  winter  months  makes  possible  the  realization  of  a 
long  cherished  hope — the  establishment  of  a  permanent 
orchestra  in  the  city  of  New  York.  By  a  permanent  or- 
chestra I  mean  one  which  plays  under  the  same  conductor 
all  the  year  around.  This  means  daily  employment,  and 
your  proposition,  in  connection  with  my  other  engage- 
ments, will  enable  me  to  give  that  to  the  members  of  the 
orchestra. 

I  have  already  engagements  for  next  winter  which  in- 
sure four  concerts  a  week.  The  Philharmonic  Society  of 
Brooklyn,  under  whose  intelligent  and  liberal  management 
the  musical  taste  of  the  public  of  that  city  has  developed 


272          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

so  rapidly  that  additional  concerts  have  been  given  each 
year  to  meet  the  increased  demand,  propose  next  year  to 
extend  their  already  large  list,  by  adding  to  the  number 
of  popular  concerts.  Then,  beside  the  New1  York  Chorus 
and  Popular  concerts,  we  have  had  for  several  years  a  reg- 
ular series  of  Symphony  concerts  in  Philadelphia,  Orange, 
Jersey  City,  and  this  year  New  Haven  has  joined  the  list. 
These  with  two  New  York  weekly  concerts  would  give 
the  orchestra  six  performances  a  week  for  six  months. 
For  the  other  six  months  there  are  traveling  engagements 
for  spring  and  fall,  and  the  regular  series  of  Summer 
Night  concerts  in  Chicago  during  July  and  August.  This 
fills  out  the  year. 

The  benefits  of  a  permanent  orchestra  and  frequent  per- 
formances are  of  great  value.  We  shall  thus  be  enabled 
to  give,  in  a  finished  manner,  a  class  of  musical  works 
which  have  now  little  opportunity  to  be  heard.  The  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  with  its  high  standard,  and  few  con- 
certs, can  only  give  standard  works  of  the  highest  char- 
acter. It  cannot  give  experimental  music.  My  idea  of 
the  concerts  which  you  propose,  would  be  to  give  the 
lighter  symphonies  and  all  the  best  novelties.  The  second 
part  of  the  programme  would  always  be  devoted  to  lighter 
music,  or  music  of  a  popular  character.  The  concerts 
would  be,  in  fact,  educational,  leading  the  public  taste 
up  to  the  Philharmonic  standard.  In  short,  the  pro- 
grammes would  be  similar  to  those  given  years  ago  in  the 
Central  Park  Garden  Concerts.  For  the  matinees  it  might 
be  well  to  have  the  programmes  of  the  alternate  concerts 
especially  arranged  for  young  people,  like  the  present 
series  of  that  name. 

The  assurance  of  support  given  me  by  the  three  thou- 
sand signatures  appended  to  your  letter,  including,  as  they 
do,  so  many  of  our  leading  citizens,  seems  to  guarantee 


Photograpu  by  Max  ljiatz 

Theodore  Thomas  as  He  Appeared  in  Concert 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          273 

the  entire  success  of  the  project,  and  if  my  views  of  the 
character  of  the  concerts  meet  your  approbation,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  undertake  the  work. 

Faithfully  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 


"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men," — saith 
the  poet, — "  which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to 
fortune."  This  was  the  flood-tide  of  Thomas' 
career.  If  he  had  only  known  it,  and  taken  ad- 
vantage of  its  splendid  opportunity,  all  the  rest  of 
his  life  would  have  been  plain  sailing  over  a  calm 
sea.  But  Thomas  was  not  born  for  peace  and  a 
quiet  life,  and  we  shall  presently  see  how  altered 
musical  conditions  in  New  York,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  his  own  errors  in  judgment,  on  the  other,  in- 
volved him  in  storms  and  tempests  which  well- 
nigh  wrecked  his  life  beyond  all  hope  of  rescue. 

During  the  winter  of  1884-85  he  did  not  travel, 
but  towards  the  end  of  April  he  made  another 
trans-continental  tour  which  began  at  Portland, 
Me.,  and  extended  to  San  Francisco,  and  return. 
This  was  not,  however,  a  festival  tour,  although 
some  of  the  performances  were  choral,  and  he  took 
with  him  some  celebrated  solo  singers  for  the 
rendering  of  certain  Wagner  selections — Frau 
Materna,  Madame  Fursch-Madi,  Miss  Emma 
Juch,  and  others — so  the  preparatory  work  of  it 
had  been  comparatively  light.  Nor  were  the  per- 
formances themselves  so  taxing,  except  in  a  few 
instances,  as  those  of  the  two  previous  spring 
tours  had  been. 


274          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

It  was  while  on  this  trip  that  an  amusing  inci- 
dent occurred  in  connection  with  a  troop  of  old- 
time  Western  "  Cowboys."  The  train  had  halted 
at  a  small  way-station  on  the  prairies  of  the  Far 
West,  and  as  there  was  to  be  a  half  hour  to 
spare  before  it  started  again,  Thomas  strolled  off 
for  a  short  walk.  As  he  returned  he  saw  some 
commotion  going  on  around  the  train,  and  that 
it  was  surrounded  by  a  band  of  rough-looking 
men,  armed  to  the  teeth,  who  were  talking  ex- 
citedly to  some  of  the  orchestra. 

'  What  is  the  matter? "  he  inquired,  as  soon  as 
he  came  within  speaking  distance  of  the  first  man 
he  met. 

'  They  want  some  music,"  was  the  unexpected 
answer.  'What  shall  we  do?" 

"  Better  give  it  to  them,"  said  Thomas  calmly. 
"  Let  somebody  play  something  for  them."  But 
no  one  seemed  anxious  to  be  the  soloist  of  this 
particular  concert;  meantime  the  cowboys  began 
to  get  impatient. 

"  Well  then,  give  me  a  fiddle  and  I'll  play 
myself,"  said  he,  and  taking  a  violin  from  the 
case  he  tuned  it  and  began.  The  cowboys  listened 
uninterestedly  and  then  announced  that  that  was 
not  what  they  wanted.  By  this  time  Thomas  be- 
gan to  lose  patience,  and,  turning  to  the  spokes- 
man, remarked,  "  You  don't  know  what  you  want." 
This  angered  the  cowboy  and  he  promptly 
replied,  with  more  force  than  courtesy: 

'  We  know  pretty well  what  we  want. 

We  want  some  singing."  Thomas  glanced  at  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          275 

revolvers,  and  the  fierce  faces  of  the  men,  and 
concluded  that  this  was  one  of  those  occasions 
when  prudence  was  the  better  part  of  valor.  So 
he  called  to  his  European  songbirds,  but  they 
had  all  locked  themselves  securely  in  their  state- 
rooms, and  declined  to  come  out.  The  situation 
was  finally  saved  by  the  plucky  little  American, 
Emma  Juch,  who  stood  on  the  rear  platform  of 
the  car  and  sang  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  her  fair 
hair  blowing  in  the  wind  and  her  clear  voice 
ringing  out  over  the  desolate  prairie.  The  cow- 
boys were  enchanted,  and  as  she  sang  the  train 
moved  off,  leaving  her  enthusiastic  audience  firing 
off  guns  and  pistols,  and  yelling  vociferous  ap- 
plause ! 

At  the  close  of  this  tour  Thomas  gave  his  cus- 
tomary season  of  Summer  Night  concerts  in 
Chicago,  but  as  Mrs.  Peirce  had  given  up  her 
house  there,  he  was  once  more  driven  back  to  a 
hotel  for  his  living  place,  and  during  this  summer 
his  whole  time  was  so  engrossed  in  planning  a  new 
and  very  extensive  musical  project,  that  we  rarely 
saw  him  away  from  the  concert  hall. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

OCTOBER,    1885,    TO    OCTOBER,    1887 

THE  GERMAN,  AMERICAN,  AND  NATIONAL  OPERA  COM- 
PANIES, AND  THEIR  OUTCOME PURCHASE  OF  A  COUN- 
TRY PLACE  AT  FAIRHAVEN,  MASS. 

IN  order  to  understand  the  events  of  the  fol- 
lowing chapter  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  a  little 
and  quote  from  a  letter  from  Thomas  to  his  friend, 
Lawrence  Maxwell,  written  in  February,  1883. 
In  this  letter,  he  said : 

"...  Abbey,  the  New  York  impresario,  wants  to 
engage  me  for  next  year  as  the  musical  director  of  the 
proposed  new  *  German  Opera  Company.'  He  would  ex- 
pect me  to  give  up  everything  except  the  Philharmonic 
concerts,  and  promises  that  I  need  not  travel  with  the 
troupe.  I  would  have  an  assistant  for  the  Italian  operas. 
Yes,  I  understand  that,  but  who  would  conduct  the  Ger- 
man operas  in  Boston,  Chicago,  or  Cincinnati?  When 
the  time  came  I  should  have  to  go  just  the  same.  Be- 
sides, my  income  is  so  large  and  permanent  from  my  own 
specialty,  my  only  trouble  is  that  I  cannot  accept  half  of 
the  engagements  offered  me.  And  as  for  opera  in  this 
country — no  wardrobe,  no  library,  new  opera  house,  and 
everything  new — it  may  be  all  over  again  after  one  season, 
or  deteriorate  into  a  second-class  concern." 

This  offer  Thomas  at  first  refused,  but  he  finally 
accepted  on  the  condition  that  he  should  be  allowed 

276 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          277 

a  year  in  which  to  go  to  Europe  and  study  the 
methods  of  European  opera  companies  and  con- 
ductors, in  order  that  the  German  operas  should 
be  given  in  the  very  best  and  most  up-to-date  man- 
ner. This  was  agreed  to,  and  he  engaged  the 
three  great  Wagner  singers — Mater na,  Winkel- 
mann,  and  Scaria — to  interpret  the  roles  they  had 
created  under  the  instruction  of  Wagner  himself, 
at  Baireuth,  and  which  were  to  be  the  chief  feature 
of  the  new  company,  as,  up  to  that  time,  Wagner's 
operas  had  most  of  them  only  been  heard  in  the 
concert  hall  in  America. 

Meantime,  the  furor  over  Wagner's  music, 
created  by  the  many  performances  of  it  Thomas 
had  given  in  New  York,  especially  at  the  festival 
of  1882,  had  suggested  to  others  also,  that  Wag- 
ner, or  "  German  "  opera,  as  it  was  called,  might 
be  profitable,  and  a  company  was  formed  to  ante- 
date the  scheme  of  Thomas,  and  put  into  imme- 
diate execution  a  plan  similar  to  that  which  he 
was  expecting  to  bring  to  maturity  the  following 
year.  Engagements  were  offered  to  the  famous 
Wagner  singers  by  the  management  of  the  new 
opera  company,  and  although  Winkelmann  and 
Scaria  kept  their  faith  with  Thomas  and  refused 
to  come,  Materna  broke  hers,  and  accepted.  Of 
course,  with  another  company  in  the  field,  and  in 
possession  of  his  chief  prima  donna,  it  was  useless 
to  attempt  to  carry  out  his  plan  of  reproducing 
the  Baireuth  performances,  and  it  was  conse- 
quently abandoned. 

To  give  up  the  German  opera  scheme  did  not 


278          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

cost  Thomas  much  sacrifice,  for  he  had  not  had 
much  faith  in  the  enterprise,  nor  was  he  wholly 
in  sympathy  with  the  way  in  which  it  was  to  be 
carried  out,  which  was  what  is  called  the  "  star 
system,"  a  system  by  which  everything  about  the 
performance  is  made  subservient  to  the  artists  who 
sing  the  principal  roles.  His  ideal  opera  was  one 
in  which  all  the  concomitant  parts — soloists,  chorus, 
orchestra,  and  scenery — should  be  equally  balanced 
and  excellent.  He  also  wanted  the  text  sung 
in  English,  and  as  many  of  the  parts  as  possible 
sung  by  Americans.  Thomas  felt  no  interest  in 
art  as  a  commercial  enterprise,  and  when  he 
undertook  anything  he  always  had  in  mind  the 
object  of  advancing  the  music  of  the  country,  in 
one  form  or  another.  He  wanted  to  establish  a 
high  standard  of  operatic  performance,  in  all 
parts  of  America,  in  the  same  sense  that  he  had 
already  established  a  high  standard  of  orchestra 
performance.  But  he  cared  not  at  all  for  opera 
considered  as  a  fashionable  social  function. 

It  would  have  been  fortunate  for  him  had 
no  other  operatic  offer  come  to  him,  for  in  that 
case  probably  the  intention  of  the  Mayor  and 
the  3,000  music-lovers  to  make  his  orchestra  per- 
manent, would  have  been  carried  out,  and  he  would 
never  have  been  tempted  to  return  to  the  treach- 
erous domain  of  operatic  enterprise.  But  hardly 
had  he  given  up  the  German  opera  scheme  when 
an  offer  came  to  him  which  was  so  exactly  in 
accordance  with  his  desires  that  he  accepted  it, 
despite  the  warnings  and  advice  of  friends,  who 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          279 

had  his  best  interests  at  heart  and  saw  more  clearly 
than  he  the  weak  points  of  the  new  project,  and 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  its  success. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  scheme  which  had 
now  enlisted  the  cooperation  of  Thomas  was  a 
very  extensive  one,  and  was  essentially  educational 
in  character.  It  was  planned  and,  in  the  main, 
executed  by  a  cultivated  and  wealthy  New  York 
woman,  Mrs.  B.  F.  Thurber,  although  a  number 
of  wealthy  men  lent  it  the  prestige  of  their  names 
as  members  of  the  board  of  directors,  officers, 
incorporators,  etc.  It  was  the  presence  of  these 
powerful  names  which  assured,  Thomas  of  a  strong 
financial  backing  to  the  scheme,  in  spite  of  its  ap- 
parently small  capital,  for  how  could  he  dream  that 
an  institution  incorporated  and  officered  by  men, 
many  of  whom  were  the  most  able  financiers  of  the 
country,  would  be  left  to  go  to  wreck  under  the 
sole  guidance  of  one  inexperienced  woman  and 
her  salaried  manager? 

Mrs.  Thurber's  plan  was  splendidly  conceived, 
and  one  would  have  thought  it  would  have  com- 
mended itself  at  once  to  every  public-spirited  man 
who  cared  for  the  art  and  the  education  of  his 
country.  Her  idea  was  to  found  a  great  national 
conservatory,  having  its  headquarters  in  New 
York.  This  conservatory  was  to  start  as  a  school 
for  opera,  and  gradually  add  other  branches,  in 
accordance  with  the  plan  Thomas  had  long  had  in 
mind.  In  affiliation  with  the  "  American  School 
of  Opera,"  as  it  was  called,  an  American  Opera 
Company  was  to  be  maintained,  the  members  of 


280          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

which  were  to  be,  as  far  as  possible,  native  or 
naturalized  Americans,  and  the  operas  performed 
were  to  be  sung  in  English.  Thomas  was  offered 
the  musical  directorship  at  a  salary  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  Such  an  organization  as  this, 
of  course,  provided  for  the  maintenance  of  his 
orchestra,  and  therefore  the  plan  of  Mayor  Grace 
and  the  3,000  was  no  longer  needed,  as  Thomas 
could  give  the  proposed  weekly  symphony  concerts 
as  part  of  the  work  of  the  school,  as  he  had  done 
in  Cincinnati. 

In  calling  into  being  the  American  School  of 
Opera  and  Opera  Company,  Mrs.  Thurber  simply 
endeavored  to  found  an  institution  for  which  there 
was  urgent  need  in  this  country.  Her  plans  were 
of  the  broadest  and  most  far-reaching  character, 
and  as  long  as  the  money  lasted,  they  were  carried 
out  to  the  letter.  The  weak  part  of  her  scheme 
was  that  which  at  the  first  glance  appeared  to  be 
its  strength,  namely,  its  "  national  "  character.  It 
was  her  plan  that  the  institution  should  not  be  a 
New  York  concern,  but  should  be  owned  and 
managed  by  a  combination  of  affiliated  societies  in 
all  the  large  cities  of  America,  merely  having  its 
headquarters  in  New  York,  because  that  was  the 
largest  and  most  convenient  place  for  the  transac- 
tion of  its  affairs.  The  school,  of  course,  had  to 
have  a  permanent  home  there,  but  the  opera  com- 
pany was  expected  to  go  to  each  of  the  affiliated 
cities  in  turn,  taking  its  complete  paraphernalia 
of  scenery  and  costumes,  as  well  as  the  full  per- 
sonnel of  its  soloists,  chorus,  ballet,  and  orchestra, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          281 

and  to  give  in  each  one  a  season,  which  should  be 
in  every  particular  an  exact  replica  of  that  given 
in  New  York.  This  plan  looked  very  attractive 
on  paper,  and  seemed  practical  enough  in  view  of 
the  festival  associations  everywhere,  with  which 
Thomas  had  so  often  worked  in  a  somewhat  similar 
way.  But  when  it  came  to  be  tried  out,  it  was 
discovered  that  the  millionaires  of  other  cities  had 
not  the  least  interest  in  financing  an  institution 
located  in  New  York;  while  the  millionaires  of 
New  York  had  no  interest  in  financing  an  insti- 
tution which  was  supposed  to  belong  equally  to 
other  cities.  Hence  the  capital  actually  subscribed 
was — as  had  been  the  case  in  Cincinnati — far  too 
small  to  finance  a  scheme  of  such  magnitude,  and 
it  should  never  have  been  attempted,  especially 
under  the  inexperienced  management  to  which  its 
affairs  were  confided.  When  the  enterprise  came 
to  the  inevitable  catastrophe  to  which  it  was  fore- 
doomed, Mrs.  Thurber  was  very  harshly  criticised, 
but  she,  at  least,  "  stood  by  the  ship  "  to  the  end, 
while  of  the  many  other  officers,  directors,  in- 
corporates, etc.,  whose  names  had  made  the  pros- 
pectus so  brilliant,  only  Thomas,  its  heaviest  loser, 
remained  faithfully  at  his  post,  and  gave  his  ut- 
most effort,  his  time,  and  his  money  to  palliate  the 
situation  for  all  concerned.  But  for  him  its  hun- 
dreds of  chorus  singers,  dancers,  orchestra  players, 
and  employees  of  all  kinds,  would  have  been  left 
stranded,  penniless,  and  friendless,  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  with  the  continent  between  them  and  their 
homes. 


282          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

No  premonition  of  the  disastrous  future,  now 
so  near  at  hand,  warned  Thomas  of  his  danger,  and 
the  season  of  1885-86  was  a  very  happy  one  for 
him.  The  return  of  his  wife,  with  health  seemingly 
restored,  and  of  his  children,  now  rapidly  growing 
to  maturity,  once  more  surrounded  him  with  the 
home  atmosphere  he  loved.  His  many  engage- 
ments provided  him  with  a  large  and  steady  in- 
come, and  his  whole  life  seemed  so  prosperous, 
successful,  and  well-established,  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  imagine  that  anything  could  happen 
which  could  seriously  injure  it. 

The  year  was  spent  in  the  usual  duties  of  his 
profession,  to  which  he  now  added  the  preparatory 
work  of  the  new  enterprise,  in  which  he  was  in- 
terested heart  and  soul,  and  he  was  never  so  well 
satisfied  as  when  planning  or  executing  some  new 
and  extensive  scheme.  He  gave  so  many  con- 
certs every  year  that  he  was  always  fearful  of 
becoming  routine  through  the  constant  repetition 
of  the  repertoire,  and  had  many  devices  whereby 
he  kept  himself  and  the  orchestra  fresh.  For  in- 
stance, he  would  not  play  the  same  selection  of 
compositions  during  two  consecutive  seasons,  nor, 
as  we  have  seen,  repeat  the  same  programmes. 
Each  time  a  number  was  performed — it  made  no 
difference  whether  it  was  a  symphony  or  a  waltz — 
he  studied  it  afresh  before  it  was  rehearsed,  and 
made  little  changes  of  interpretation  or  execution, 
here  and  there,  to  give  it  a  new  interest.  In  the 
case  of  the  master-works  of  classic  literature,  which 
he  knew  so  well  that  he  once  offered  a  bet  to  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          283 

friend,  that  he  could  write  the  Fifth  Symphony 
backwards  from  memory,  without  a  mistake  (a 
bet,  by  the  way,  which  the  friend  refused  to  take) , 
he  not  only  studied  them  afresh  each  time 
they  were  to  be  performed,  but  studied  everything 
that  others  wrote  about  them  in  either  German 
or  English,  or  in  translations  from  other  lan- 
guages; trying  all  the  new  effects  suggested,  and 
adopting  or  discarding  them  afterwards,  as  they 
proved  to  be  better  or  not  so  good  as  his  own. 
It  was  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  he  was  happy 
in  his  new  musical  departure,  and  enjoyed  the 
work  of  preparing  all  its  multitudinous  details, 
especially  as  he  had  done  so  much  operatic  con- 
ducting in  his  early  years  that  he  was  thoroughly 
conversant  with  all  its  branches  and  understood 
exactly  what  was  needed  in  each  of  its  depart- 
ments. 

The  prospectus  of  the  new  company  was  sub- 
stantially as  follows,  only  a  few  unimportant  para- 
graphs having  been  omitted: 

THE  AMERICAN  OPERA  COMPANY 

PROSPECTUS 

The  management  of  the  American  Opera  Company  feel 
confident  that  this  enterprise  will  meet  with  encouragement 
not  only  from  American  citizens,  but  from  those  who, 
though  not  born  upon  our  soil,  have  made  America  their 
home,  and  must  share  in  all  that  redounds  to  the  honor 
and  advancement  of  the  land  of  their  adoption.  .  .  . 

The  music-loving  people  of  American  cities  have  long 
been  desirous  of  hearing  grand  opera  sung  in  their  na- 


284          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

tional  tongue.  The  management  will  strive  to  realize  this 
expectation.  The  artists  engaged  are  in  the  front  rank 
of  American  singers,  and  are  supported  by  an  ensemble 
which  has  never  been  equaled  in  this  country.  The  Ameri- 
can Opera  Company  represents  an  honest  endeavor  on 
the  part  of  its  incorporators  to  prove  that  there  is  no 
lack  of  American  singers  who  require  only  encouragement 
and  opportunity  to  do  honor  to  the  musical  reputation 
of  their  native  land.  Its  object  is  to  present  ensemble 
opera,  giving  no  single  feature  undue  prominence  to  the 
disadvantage  of  others,  and  distinctly  discouraging  the 
pernicious  star  system.  Its  distinctive  features  may  be 
enumerated  as  follows: 

I.    Grand  opera  sung  in  English  by  the  most  com- 
petent artists. 

II.    The  musical  guidance  of  Theodore  Thomas. 
III.    The  unrivaled  Thomas  Orchestra. 
IV.    The  largest  chorus  ever  employed  in  grand  opera 
in  America,  and  composed  entirely  of  fresh 
young  voices. 
V.    The  largest  ballet  corps  ever  employed  by  grand 

opera  in  America. 

VI.    Four  thousand  new  costumes,  for  which  no  ex- 
pense has  been  spared. 
VII.    The  armor,  properties,  and  paraphernalia  made 

from  models  by  the  best  designers. 

VIII.  The  scenery  designed  by  the  Associated  Artists 
of  New  York,  and  painted  by  the  most  emi- 
nent scenic  artists  of  America. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  American  Opera 
Company  is  not  a  local,  but  a  national  enterprise,  and 
all  musical  circles  of  the  nation  should  be  interested  in  its 
success.  Among  its  leading  artists  are  natives  of  twenty 
American  cities,  while  the  chorus  represents  twenty-six 
different  states  of  the  Union. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


285 


Incorporators 


LEVI  P.  MORTON 
PARKE  GODWIN 
AUGUST  BELMONT 
ANDREW  CARNEGIE 
JOHN  McGiNNis,  JR. 
HENRY  SELIGMAN 
THEODORE  THOMAS 
GEORGE  C.  COOPER 
CAROLINE  S.  BELMONT 
JEANNETTE  M.  THURBER 

E.  FRANK  COE 
H.  L.  HORTON 
ARABELLA  S.  HUNTINGTON 
A.  B.  BLODGETT 

F.  B.  THURBER 
JOHN  H.  BEACH 
N.  K.  FAIRBANK 
GEORGE  M.  PULLMAN 
W.  B.  BININGER 
HORACE  PORTER 

President 
ANDREW  CARNEGIE 

Vic  e-Presidents 

MRS.  AUGUST  BELMONT,  MRS.  WILLIAM  T.   BLODGETT, 
MRS.  LEVI  P.  MORTON 

Secretary  and  Treasurer 
MRS.  F.  B.  THURBER 

No  operatic  venture  in  this  country  ever  started 
with  a  seemingly  brighter  promise  of  success  than 
when  the  curtain  rose  on  the  opening  night  of  the 
American  Opera  Company,  January  4,  1886,  in 


BRAYTON  IVES 
HENRY  HILTON 
RUSSELL  H.  HOADLEY 
W.  B.  DINSMORE 
A.  B.  DARLING 
F.  W.  PECK 
H.  J.  JEWETT 
CHARLES  CROCKER 
ROBERT  HARRIS 
CHAUNCEY  M.  DEPEW 
EDWARD  WINSLOW 
W.  E.  D.  STOKES 
W.  D.  WASHBURN 
S.  L.  M.  BARLOW 
JOHN  W.  MAC  KAY 
C.  O.  BRICE 
S.  V.  WHITE 
C.  E.  LOCKE 
S.  B.  EATON 


286          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  old  Academy  of  Music,  which  had  been  beauti- 
fully remodeled  for  its  use.  Every  one  of  the 
glittering  promises  of  its  prospectus  was  more 
than  fulfilled,  and,  as  the  season  progressed,  and 
the  company  was  trained  into  ever  increasing 
proficiency,  its  work  was  thus  summarized  by  a 
musical  writer  in  the  Century  Magazine  for 
May: 

"  The  incomparable  orchestra,  the  fresh  young  chorus, 
always  correct,  sure,  and  in  tune,  and  the  whole  assembly 
of  stars  and  satellites  respond  to  the  command  of  Theo- 
dore Thomas,  and  respond  together,  exactly  as  the  well- 
trained  band  answers  him  as  if  by  one  impulse,  in  Bee- 
thoven's '  Eroica.'  .  .  .  There  we  saw  great  conducting. 
There  we  had  an  earnest  of  the  high  artistic  purpose  with 
which  the  new  enterprise  has  taken  up  its  work.  An 
American  Opera  Company  which  begins  its  career  with 
such  an  achievement  takes  rank  at  once  as  a  very  im- 
portant institution." 

For  a  more  detailed  description  of  the  company 
and  its  chief  characteristics,  I  cannot  do  better 
than  to  quote  from  a  letter  from  Amy  Fay  to  one 
of  the  Chicago  musical  journals,*  of  which  she 
was  at  that  time  the  New  York  correspondent. 

"...  The  inception  of  this  enterprise  was  particu- 
larly difficult  for  the  reason  that  the  motive  of  its  being 
lay,  not  in  any  necessity  to  supply  a  demand  made  by 
the  public,  but  in  the  endeavor  to  supply  a  need  long  and 
bitterly  felt  by  American  artists  for  some  field  higher 

*  The  Indicator. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          287 

than  comic  opera,  in  which  they  might  make  name  and 
fame  for  themselves  in  their  own  country.  The  scheme 
was  not  a  money-making  one  for  anybody,  but  simply  an 
earnest,  honest  endeavor  on  the  part  of  a  number  of  the 
leading  capitalists  of  the  country  to  establish  an  institu- 
tion which  would  be  of  permanent  value  in  helping  to 
develop  the  national  art  of  America.  .  .  .  The  incor- 
porators  of  the  organization  are  men  and  women  who  are 
amply  able  to  sustain  it  against  any  amount  of  opposi- 
tion, and  such  names  as  Vanderbilt,  Marquand,  Belmont, 
Carnegie,  and  Thurber,  of  New  York;  Fairbank,  Pull- 
man, and  Peck,  of  Chicago;  Higginson  of  Boston,  Hop- 
kins and  Mackay  of  San  Francisco,  and  many  others 
equally  well  known,  are  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  the 
solidity  of  the  foundation  upon  which  it  stands.  The 
building  in  which  the  company  has  its  home  is  the  old 
Academy  of  Music.  This  has  been  charmingly  decorated 
in  crimson,  white  and  gold,  the  ceiling  is  frescoed,  and 
the  old-fashioned  proscenium  boxes  are  retained,  hand- 
somely draped  with  crimson  satin.  One  gallery  only  is 
devoted  to  boxes,  of  which  there  are  three  rows,  one 
behind  the  other,  and  the  partitions  which  separate  them 
are  no  higher  than  those  between  the  pews  in  old-fashioned 
churches,  and  do  not  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  sight 
or  hearing  of  any  one.  As  a  whole  the  building,  though 
not  so  gorgeous,  is  pleasanter  than  the  Metropolitan  as 
far  as  the  auditorium  is  concerned,  but  the  stage  is  not 
nearly  as  large,  which  is  of  course  somewhat  of  a  disad- 
vantage. But  though  this  is  an  inconvenience  in  New 
York,  it  will  be  a  convenience  to  the  company  in  traveling, 
as  the  scenery  used  at  the  Academy  can  be  used  without 
alteration  at  all  the  theaters  engaged  for  the  perform- 
ance in  the  West,  and  the  representations  can  therefore 
be  made  much  more  artistic  and  complete. 


288          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  The  company  numbers  twenty-nine  solo  artists,  of 
whom  more  than  twenty  are  Americans.  Of  these,  the 
artists  who  have  made  the  most  marked  success  of  the 
season  are  Madame  Hastreiter  of  Louisville,  Madame 
L'Allemand  of  Syracuse,  Miss  Juch,  and  Myron  Whitney, 
the  splendid  basso-profundo  of  Boston.  Madame  Hast- 
reiter in  particular  is  rapidly  developing  into  a  truly  great 
artist  under  the  tuition  of  Theodore  Thomas,  combined 
with  the  immense  stimulus  of  singing  constantly  to  such 
distinguished  and  appreciative  audiences  as  nightly  throng 
the  Academy,  and  she  has  already  received  magnificent 
offers  of  operatic  engagements  in  Europe.  Madame 
L'Allemand  is  not  a  novice  in  operatic  singing,  having  sung 
with  success  in  Europe  before  her  American  engagement. 
But  she  is  none  the  less  a  delightful  musician,  and  has  made 
an  excellent  reputation  for  herself  already  as  a  genuine 
and  conscientious  artist,  whose  impersonations  are  remark- 
able both  for  their  dramatic  power  and  musical  excellence. 
Miss  Juch  and  Mr.  Whitney  are  both  too  well  known  to 
need  comment.  But  it  is  not  upon  the  greatness  of  its 
solo  performers  that  the  American  company  relies  as  yet 
for  its  success,  but  upon  its  artistic  completeness  as  a 
whole.  Of  course,  the  organization  is  still  too  young  to 
be  in  all  respects  perfect;  it  would  be  absurd  to  expect 
that  with  only  eight  months  of  existence  the  greatest 
results  could  be  achieved,  no  matter  how  great  the  labor 
expended  to  bring  them  about.  Perfection  is  only  to 
be  attained  by  the  mellowing  influence  of  time  and  ex- 
perience upon  human  effort,  and  the  managers  of  the 
American  company,  though  satisfied  and  encouraged  at 
the  success  it  has  already  attained,  regard  its  achieve- 
ments this  winter  as  but  the  beginning  of  what  they  hope 
ultimately  to  make  it. 

"  I  have  spoken  elsewhere  of  the  leading  characteristic  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          289 

the  German  company  as  its  brilliancy.  The  leading  char- 
acteristic of  the  American  company  may  be  said  to  be  its 
refinement.  The  operas  selected  for  its  performances  are 
much  lighter  than  the  music-dramas  of  the  German  com- 
pany, its  singers  are  much  younger  and  prettier,  and  have 
graceful,  girlish  figures,  which  makes  them  look  more 
delicate,  and  better  suited  to  the  youthful  parts  which 
generally  form  the  leading  roles.  The  chorus  is  com- 
posed of  fresh  young  voices  and  sings  with  confidence  and 
precision,  almost  never  falling  from  the  pitch  or  lagging 
in  the  attack.  The  orchestra  of  course  is  perfection,  and 
all  these  component  parts  are  welded  into  a  harmonious 
whole  under  the  guiding  baton  of  its  distinguished  con- 
ductor, who,  while  giving  to  each  soloist  full  latitude  in 
which  to  exercise  his  or  her  individual  conception,  yet 
keeps  everything  moving  smoothly  along  without  hitches 
or  roughness  in  any  part.  Nor  is  the  stage-setting  in  any 
way  inferior  to  the  performance.  The  scenery  and  cos- 
tumes are  all  of  American  manufacture,  and  were  made 
under  the  direction  of  the  celebrated  '  Associated 
Artists '  of  New  York,  and  some  of  the  scenes  are  ex- 
quisitely beautiful,  particularly  in  the  arrangement  of 
light.  In  the  '  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,'  for  instance, 
we  have  a  moonlight  scene  which  is  particularly  charming. 
The  curtain  rises  revealing  the  interior  of  a  grove,  with 
a  dimly  seen  landscape  between  the  tree  trunks.  Pres- 
ently the  moon  slowly  rises,  big  and  red — a  real  July 
moon.  Gradually,  as  it  ascends,  it  grows  yellow,  and  then 
white  and  clear,  in  very  artistic  style,  and  instead  of  stop- 
ping, as  theatrical  moons  ordinarily  do,  at  the  height  of 
ten  feet  above  the  horizon,  it  keeps  on  rising  and  rising, 
gleaming  behind  branches,  and  through  the  interstices 
of  the  foliage,  till  it  passes  out  of  sight  overhead,  and 
a  flood  of  light  from  above,  shining  through  the  trees  and 


290          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

gradually  shifting  as  the  scene  progresses,  marks  the  con- 
tinued moving  of  the  now  invisible  moon,  and  adds  the 
finishing  touch  to  a  lovely  stage  picture.  Another  ex- 
quisite scene  is  that  of  the  last  act  of  '  Lakme,'  which 
represents  the  interior  of  a  forest  in  India,  and  has  in  it 
a  wonderful  cascade  at  the  back  of  the  stage  which  pours 
over  the  rocks,  waving  and  gleaming  in  a  manner  which 
defies  the  inquiring  powers  of  even  an  opera  glass  as  to 
its  modus  opercmdi.  I  have  said  nothing  about  the  ballet 
of  this  company,  though  it  is  large  and  well  trained,  be- 
cause it  has  nothing  distinctive  to  the  company  about  it, 
but  is  like  any  other  good  opera  ballet. 

"  Those  who  go  to  the  performances  of  the  American 
company  expecting  to  hear  vocal  pyrotechnics,  or  to  see 
anything  startling  or  sensational,  will  be  disappointed. 
But  those  who  take  pleasure  in  a  good  thing  thoroughly 
well  done  cannot  fail  to  enjoy  each  and  all  of  the  operas, 
and  to  rejoice  that  at  last  a  company  has  been  formed 
where  we  can  hear  our  own  charming  artists  in  a  language 
we  can  all  understand,  and  that  the  day  is  near  at  hand 
when  it  will  no  longer  be  necessary  for  American  musi- 
cians to  hide  their  nationality  under  foreign  names  before 
they  can  get  recognition  from  their  own  countrymen. 

"  If  Mrs.  Thurber  and  her  coadjutors  can  accomplish 
this  they  will  earn  the  gratitude  of  American  singers  for 
all  time,  and  lay  sure  foundations  for  the  American  music 
of  the  future.  AMY  FAY." 

From  the  foregoing  details,  it  will  be  seen  that 
Thomas  aimed  to  give  opera  in  the  same  way  that 
he  gave  all  his  other  musical  performances.  Every 
detail  was  accurate,  perfect,  and  harmonious,  and 
nothing  was  too  small  to  escape  his  attention  if  it 
could  contribute  to  the  artistic  effect  of  the  whole. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          2Q1 

For  instance,  when  Lohengrin  entered  for  the 
first  time,  drawn  by  the  swan,  he  wished  to  ex- 
press the  excitement  which  such  an  event  would 
naturally  create  in  a  crowd  of  witnesses.  Instead 
of  trying  to  make  his  chorus  do  all  the  necessary 
action,  as  is  customary,  he  had  them  drawn  up  at 
the  back,  with  instructions  to  attend  strictly  to 
their  music.  In  the  foreground  he  utilized  the 
members  of  the  ballet,  to  give  all  the  action,  and 
the  result  was  a  climax  of  the  most  tremendous 
power  and  effect.  In  explaining  his  reason  for 
this,  he  said:  "  The  music  is  very  difficult  for  the 
chorus  and  requires  all  their  attention  in  order  to 
do  it  well;  if  they  try  to  combine  acting  with 
singing  here,  both  are  a  failure."  Still  smaller 
details  than  this  were  carefully  prepared,  such  as 
the  fizzing  of  the  satanic  wine  into  the  glass  of 
Mephistopheles,  which  is  represented  by  a  little 
orchestral  figure.  As  Thomas  played  it,  one  could 
hear  that  fizz  to  the  life.  Or,  the  clanking  of 
the  chains  as  the  anchor  of  the  phantom  ship  in  the 
"  Flying  Dutchman "  is  dropped.  This  is  also 
produced  by  an  orchestral  figure,  and  not  by  a 
real  chain,  and  Thomas  rehearsed  it  over  and  over 
again  with  infinite  patience  until  it,  too,  was 
perfected. 

The  repertoire  of  the  American  Opera  Company 
was  quite  different  from  that  of  any  opera  com- 
pany this  country  had  ever  had,  and  contained  a 
number  of  operas  which  have  rarely  been  given 
by  other  organizations.  It  was  selected  to  include 
both  classic  and  modern  works,  and  contained 


292          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

operas  by  German,  French,  Italian,  and  Russian 
composers,  as  well  as  a  number  of  little  musical 
pantomimes  for  ballet  and  orchestra.  The  operas 
given  during  the  two  years  of  its  existence  were 
all  sung  in  English,  with  the  delightful  result  that 
the  listeners  could  understand  what  the  singers 
were  trying  to  express,  instead  of  having  to  guess 
what  was  going  on  by  watching  their  pantomime. 
They  were  as  follows: 

Orpheus  and  Eurydice.  . . Gluck 

The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor Nicolai 

Lohengrin    , Wagner 

The  Flying  Dutchman Wagner 

Faust .-.  ...  .  . Gounod 

The  Taming  of  the  Shrew .  Goetz 

Lakme , ( Delibes 

The  Magic  Flute.  .  . , Mozart 

The  Huguenots. Meyerbeer 

Ai'da ....;...• i...\ .Verdi 

Martha    ..,.., Flotow 

Nero Rubinstein 

But,  perfect  and  artistic  though  its  performances 
were,  the  company  lacked  one  thing  which  the 
American  public  has  always  held  to  be  essential  to 
grand  opera,  and  that  was  the  very  thing  it  sought 
to  avoid — great  "  star  "  singers  of  the  first  rank. 
The  singers  of  the  American  Opera  Company 
were  all  fine  artists,  and  Thomas  was  so  experi- 
enced that  he  cast  them  in  roles  which  they  were 
fitted  to  interpret  as  well,  or  even  better  than  more 
famous  artists  would  have  done,  but  the  public, 


293 

nevertheless,  missed  in  its  performances  the  great 
emotional  climaxes  of  a  Materna  or  a  Lehmann, 
the  marvelous  C  in  alt  of  a  Campanini,  or  the 
rich  voluminous  bass  of  a  Scaria.  And  the  more 
perfect  the  orchestra,  chorus,  scenery,  and  sup- 
porting artists  became,  the  more  apparent  became 
the  need  of  great  dramatic  singers  to  fill  the 
leading  roles.  Had  the  American  Opera  Company 
become  the  permanent  institution  Thomas  sup- 
posed it  would  be,  when  he  undertook  its  direction, 
he  might,  perhaps,  have  added  them  when  the 
time  seemed  ripe  for  it,  but  the  life  of  the  insti- 
tution was  too  brief  for  him  to  do  more  than  lay 
the  foundation  for  future  development.  The 
audiences  which  thronged  its  performances  were 
large  and  enthusiastic,  and  the  press  was  a  unit 
in  admitting  their  superior  artistic  standard,  but 
there  was  nevertheless  much  antagonism  to  the 
company  in  New  York.  There  had  gradually 
developed  in  the  musical  world  of  that  city  a  strong 
faction  of  people  whose  interests  were  opposed  to 
those  of  Thomas.  As  long  as  he  kept  to  his  own 
specialty  of  symphonic  or  choral  work,  he  was 
master  of  the  situation,  for  there  no  one  could 
compete  with  him.  But  when  he  entered  the 
operatic  field,  his  opponents  were  financially 
stronger  than  he,  and  had,  in  reality,  the  solid 
financial  backing  which,  he  discovered  too  late, 
belonged  to  the  American  company  only  in  name. 
No  operatic  organization  can  live  on  its  box  office 
receipts  alone,  and  therefore,  in  spite  of  the  large 
audiences  that  greeted  its  performances  every- 


294          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

where,  the  close  of  its  first  season  found  the  com- 
pany already  somewhat  behind  in  its  expenses. 

The  spring  tour  of  the  company,  over  the  old 
familiar  Thomas  "  Highway,"  was  a  very  success- 
ful one,  and  a  volume  might  be  filled  with  the  press 
encomiums  over  its  performances,  but  a  few  quo- 
tations from  some  of  the  most  important  will  suf- 
fice to  show  the  general  impression  created 
throughout  the  country  in  regard  to  its  work: 

In  the  case  of  the  American  opera  season,  musical  Bos- 
ton's highest  anticipations  have  been  more  than  realized. 
If  there  ever  was  any  doubt  felt  as  to  the  possibility  of 
producing  the  lyrical  dramas  of  the  great  masters  with  a 
company  drawn  almost  exclusively  from  the  ranks  of  our 
native  singers,  and  under  purely  American  direction  and 
management,  that  doubt  is  certainly  dispelled  by  the  su- 
perb performances  of  this  week  at  the  Boston  Theater. — 
Boston  Globe. 

There  was  probably  no  one  in  all  that  great  throng 
at  the  Boston  Theater  last  night  who,  observing  and  ap- 
preciating the  thoroughness  of  the  presentation  of  Wag- 
ner's most  popular  opera,  did  not  admit  that  the  enterprise 
deserved  all  of  the  success  that  its  projectors  asked  for 
it.  Such  a  performance  of  "  Lohengrin  "  had  not  been 
heard  here  before.  Let  us  stretch  a  point  and  say  at  once 
that  no  such  performance  of  any  opera  had  been  heard 
here  before.  .  .  . — Boston  Transcript. 

The  performance  of  "  Lohengrin  "  last  evening  at  the 
Boston  Theater  sets  finally  at  rest  any  vague  doubt  which 
there  might  have  been  in  regard  to  the  scale  and  standard 
set  up  by  the  managers,  or  to  their  ability  to  carry  into 
full  execution  their  plans  and  promises.  It  is  not  too 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          295 

much  to  say  that  no  person  in  the  crowded  and  distin- 
guished auditory  had  ever  seen  in  this  country  any  repre- 
sentation by  any  other  organization  nearly  commensurate 
with  this. — Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

There  was  but  one  sentiment  and  one  regret.  The 
sentiment  agreed  in  praise  of  the  royal  manner  in  which 
the  American  Opera  Company  redeemed,  and  more  than 
redeemed,  all  the  promises  made.  The  regret  was  that 
the  season  was  ended  before  it  had  fairly  blossomed. — 
Philadelphia  Press. 

Nothing  could  have  better  shown  the  undeniable 
strength  of  the  American  Opera  Company  than  the  operas 
chosen  for  performance  yesterday  ("Lakme"  and  "The 
Flying  Dutchman  ").  That  these  operas,  so  widely  con- 
trasted in  style,  each  received  a  faultless  and  charac- 
teristic representation,  showed  at  once  the  wonderful  re- 
sources of  this  organization. — National  Republican 
(Washington). 

The  inauguration  of  the  American  Opera  Company's 
season  of  four  performances  at  the  Academy  of  Music 
proved  an  event  in  the  musical  history  of  Baltimore.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  no  such  company  ever  visited  the  city 
before.  It  consists  of  almost  an  army  of  artists  in  all 
the  lines  of  musical  and  dramatic  expression.  The  soloists 
are  of  the  highest  order.  The  chorus  numbers  over  a  hun- 
dred young,  fresh,  well-trained  voices.  The  orchestra, 
that  of  Theodore  Thomas,  is  far  superior  to  any  that 
ever  took  part  in  an  opera  performance  in  this  city.  The 
ballet  is  a  revelation  of  perfection  in  drill  and  costumes, 
as  well  as  in  forms  and  numbers. — Baltimore  Sun. 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  "  Lohengrin  "  as  pre- 
sented last  evening  by  the  American  Opera  .Company  at 
McVicker's  would  have  found  favor  in  Berlin  or  Munich. 
Gluck's  "  Orpheus  "  as  presented  by  the  American  Opera 


296          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Company  is  the  smoothest  and  most  consistently  finished 
operatic  performance  ever  given  in  this  city.  To  the 
story  the  American  Opera  Company  has  joined  a  pageant 
of  almost  unequaled  wealth. — Chicago  Tribune. 

Mrs.  Thurber  went  with  the  company  on  the 
tour,  and  worked  hard  in  every  city  to  organize 
the  auxiliary  societies  which  were  such  an  essential 
part  of  her  plan.  But  she  could  not  accomplish 
anything  of  sufficient  importance  in  this  line  to 
make  up  for  the  lack  of  capital  in  New  York. 
Nor,  in  spite  of  the  artistic  laurels  with  which 
the  company  returned  to  its  home  city,  was  she 
able  to  raise  any  large  additional  sum  of  money 
for  it  there.  Under  these  untoward  circumstances 
the  only  practical  course  to  pursue  was  to  dis- 
band the  company  and  close  up  its  affairs.  But 
after  it  had  made  such  a  brilliant  artistic  success, 
Mrs.  Thurber  was  naturally  loath  to  give  up  the 
enterprise  until  she  had  tried  every  possible  ex- 
pedient for  its  continuance,  and  it  was  finally 
decided  by  its  management  to  reorganize  the  com- 
pany in  the  state  of  New  Jersey  under  the  name 
of  the  National  Opera  Company,  and  to  try  and 
recuperate  its  fortunes  by  selling  the  capital  stock 
of  the  new  concern. 

Meantime  Thomas  had  not  by  any  means  given 
up  his  concert  work,  but  gave,  during  the  winter 
of  1885-86,  ten  distinct  series  of  concerts:  12 
New  York  Philharmonic  Concerts;  24  New  York 
Young  People's  Matinees;  24  New  York  Popular 
Concerts;  2  Liederkranz  Concerts;  16  Brooklyn 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          297 

Philharmonic  Concerts;  8  Brooklyn  Popular  Mat- 
inees; 6  Philadelphia  Symphony  Concerts,  and 
three  or  four  concerts  each  in  Jersey  City,  Newark, 
New  Haven,  and  Orange,  as  well  as  single  per- 
formances in  neighboring  cities.  This  extraordi- 
nary season  finally  ended  with  the  regular  biennial 
musical  festival  of  Cincinnati,  and  a  subsequent 
five  weeks  of  Summer  Night  Concerts  in  Chicago. 
But  such  labors  as  these  were  too  much  for  even 
a  man  of  the  iron  will  and  strong  physique  of 
Thomas,  and  when  the  time  came  for  making  his 
engagements  for  the  next  season,  he  decided  that 
he  could  no  longer  give  such  a  large  number  of 
concerts  and  conduct  opera  also,  and  that  he  must 
give  up  one  or  the  other.  It  may  be  thought 
incredible  that  a  man  of  Thomas'  age  and  ex- 
perience should  have  given  up  his  extensive  and 
remunerative  concert  work  for  the  sake  of  an 
opera  company  which  was  in  such  questionable 
shape  financially  as  the  National  Opera  Com- 
pany, but  Thomas  was  not  much  of  a  business 
man,  he  knew  very  little  about  stock  companies  or 
corporations  of  any  kind,  and  he  believed  implicitly 
everything  that  was  told  him  by  those  with  whom 
he  was  associated.  When  asked  why  he  allowed 
himself  to  be  deceived  in  business  matters  so  often 
through  life,  his  answer  was:  "  I  cannot  work  with 
those  I  do  not  trust,  and  I  had  rather  be  deceived, 
even  though  it  costs  me  dear,  than  suspect  the 
honesty  of  those  with  whom  I  am  associated,  so 
long  as  we  are  working  together."  In  the  case 
of  the  National  Opera  Company  he  supposed 


298          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

that  the  reorganization  was  done  merely  to  keep 
off  the  creditors  of  the  "  American  Company " 
until  the  sale  of  the  capital  stock  of  the  new  con- 
cern should  bring  in  enough  money  to  pay  their 
claims  in  full.  This  seemed  reasonable,  and  so 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  sign  a  contract  with  the 
management  as  its  musical  director,  for  the  season 
of  1886-87,  and  even  allowed  himself  to  be  made 
its  president,  and  to  hold  a  few  shares  of  its  stock. 
Consequently,  when  the  final  catastrophe  came,  he 
found  himself  so  involved  in  its  affairs,  that,  al- 
though he  was  not  held  to  be  financially  responsible 
for  its  debts  by  the  court,  he  nevertheless  had  to 
fight  the  lawsuits  brought  against  him  by  its 
creditors  for  years  afterwards. 

During  its  second  season  the  performances  of 
the  ill-fated  company  were  even  more  finished 
and  perfect  than  before.  Its  home  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  the  large 
size  of  the  stage  there  offering  unlimited  oppor- 
tunities for  magnificent  stage  settings.  The  last 
weeks  of  its  New  York  season  were  devoted  to  the 
production  of  Rubinstein's  "  Nero  "  in  the  most 
sumptuous  manner,  and  the  following  description 
of  its  opening  night  appeared  in  the  New  York 
World  the  next  day: 

"  The  opera  of  c  Nero  '  was  produced  by  the  *  National 
Opera  Company  '  last  night.  Placed  upon  the  stage  on 
a  scale  of  splendor  never  before  given  to  opera  in  this 
country,  with  scenes,  pictures,  and  groupings  of  extraor- 
dinary magnificence,  culminating  with  the  burning  of 
Rome;  and  sung  with  enthusiasm,  intelligence,  and  ar- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

tistic  devotion,  it  made  an  overwhelming  success.  The 
production,  marking,  as  it  does,  an  epoch  in  grand 
opera  in  English,  in  this  country,  the  names  of  the  singers 
deserve  to  be  recorded.  Nearly  every  member  of  the  com- 
pany was  in  the  cast: 

Nero  Claudius,  Imperator William  Candidus 

Julius  Vindex,  Prince  of  Aquitania William  Ludwig 

Tigellinus,  Prefect  of  the  Pretorians.  .  .Alonzo  Stoddard 

Balbillus,  an  astrologer Myron  Whitney 

Saccus,  a  poet ..  .William  Fessenden 

Servirus,  high  priest  of  Evander's  Temple )  _ 
.   ~  >  Wm.  Hamilton 

A  Centurion  ) 

Terpander,  a  Citharist,  Agrippina's  f reedman . .  W.  H.  Lee 
Poppaea  Sabina,  Otho's  wife,  afterwards  married  to 

Nero. ., , Bertha  Pierson 

Epicharis,  a  freed  woman ,.  .Cornelia  Van  Zanten 

Chrysa,  her  daughter Emma  Juch 

Agrippina,    widow   of    the    Emperor    Claudius    and 

mother  of  Nero .< Agnes  Stirling 

Lupus,  a  Roman  gamin .  Pauline  L'AUemand 

Joseph  Silvers 

Frank   Hadfey 

James  Dubois 

.H.   S.   Dale 


>•  Plotters 


Piso 
Rufus 
Sporus 
Messala 

Thrasaes,  a  Senator. . John  Alton 

Delia,  Poppaea's  slave •, Lauretta  Creede 

An  aged  Christian H.  Heinemann 

The  leader  of  a  band  of  jugglers. ....... .Frank  Perry 

A  public  crier. .John  McGrayne 

A  street  vender Jacob  Mermer 

Salvius  Otho 

"  It  is  difficult  to  say  which  part  of  the  opera  produced 
the  greatest  effect.  Scenically  the  eye  was  fairly  wearied 
last  night,  watching  the  gorgeous  settings,  the  superb 


300          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

pictures,  and  the  wonderful  spectacular  effects.  From 
eight  o'clock  until  midnight,  the  Rome  of  the  Caesars  was 
presented  in  costume,  scenery,  characters,  and  dramatic 
action  in  a  way  that  fairly  surprised  and  bewildered  the 
audience.  Rubinstein  has  charged  his  score  also  with 
many  lovely  musical  numbers.  His  choruses,  ballet  music, 
and  processional  are  superlatively  grand,  and  he  has  fur- 
nished some  duets  for  '  Vindex '  and  '  Chrysa,'  of  sur- 
passing beauty  and  which  must  be  declared  to  be  amongst 
the  loveliest  in  modern  opera.  The  brilliant  manner  in 
which  the  work  was  produced  was  the  result  of  weeks  and 
weeks  of  rehearsal  under  Theodore  Thomas." 

Early  in  April  the  company  was  sent  on  a  tour 
which  extended  to  San  Francisco  and  ended  on  its 
return,  at  .Buffalo.  The  details  of  its  experiences 
after  it  reached  the  Pacific  coast  are  better 
imagined  than  described,  and  the  return  trip  re- 
sembled the  retreat  of  Napoleon's  army  from 
Moscow!  Like  the  famous  French  general, 
Thomas  stayed  with  his  company  until  they  were 
back  in  their  home  state,  and  but  for  his  presence 
they  would  never  have  got  there.  Sometimes  he 
even  paid  for  their  food  himself,  rather  than  see 
them  go  hungry.  Finally,  at  St.  Louis,  he  could 
contain  his  indignation  no  longer,  and  in  answer 
to  a  request  from  the  New  York  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, asking  for  a  statement  of  the  condition 
of  affairs,  he  sent  the  following  telegram: 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  7,  1887. 

Troupe  completely  wrecked.  Workingmen  have  gone 
without  meals  to  the  shame  of  the  Directory.  I  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  business  management,  but  I  did  not 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          301 

dare  to  leave  the  troupe  in  San  Francisco,  and  only  stay 
now  until  everyone  can  reach  New  York.  We  have  been 
deserted  and  sold  by  everybody,  and  if  you  will  get  us 
home  after  the  Louisville  engagement  you  will  save  money. 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 


The  company  was  not,  however,  disbanded  at 
Louisville,  but  filled  another  engagement  in  Buf- 
falo, where  Thomas  conducted  it  for  the  last 
time.  On  the  back  of  the  programme  of  this 
performance  he  wrote,  "  The  most  dreadful  ex- 
perience of  my  life."  Having  now  got  the  un- 
fortunate members  of  the  troupe  back  to  within  a 
short  distance  of  home,  he  deemed  that  his  duty 
was  done,  and  saw  no  reason  why  he  should  con- 
tinue to  give  any  more  gratuitous  service  to  its 
Board.  He  therefore  left,  and,  stopping  in  New 
York  only  long  enough  to  place  his  claims  against 
the  company  in  the  hands  of  his  lawyer,  he  joined 
his  family  at  the  seashore. 

Had  Thomas  not  been  so  weighed  down  in 
spirit  by  the  disappointment  and  humiliation  of 
the  experiences  he  had  just  been  through;  by  his 
own  heavy  financial  losses,  and  by  the  doubtful 
outlook  of  the  future,  his  home-coming  this  year 
would  have  been  peculiarly  happy,  for,  during  his 
absence  in  the  West,  his  wife  had  found  and 
purchased  a  pleasant  and  commodious  country- 
place  in  the  beautiful  little  seaside  village  of  Fair- 
haven,  Mass.,  and  for  the  first  time  in  his  life 
he  came  to  his  own  home  and  fireside,  and  not  to 
temporary  quarters  rented  from  someone  else. 


$02          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Thomas  lived  so  incessantly  before  the  public, 
and  had  so  little  time  for  intercourse  with  his  fam- 
ily, that  the  few  days  which  he  was  able  to  devote 
to  them  in  summer  were  like  a  sort  of  idyl  to  him, 
which  he  dreamed  of  and  longed  for  all  the  rest 
of  the  year.  Perhaps  for  this  reason  his  feeling 
about  his  home  was  unusually  deep,  and  he  had 
long  had  a  great  desire  for  a  real  home,  in  which 
he  could  feel  a  sense  of  possession  and  permanency. 
The  Fairhaven  house  was  quite  in  accordance  with 
his  generous  ideas  of  what  a  home  should  be,  for 
it  was  very  large  and  a  fine  specimen  of  the  "  Old 
Colonial  "  style  of  architecture.  The  rooms  were 
lofty,  and  the  wood-work  carved  in  low  relief,  and 
painted  white,  after  the  manner  of  this  style. 
Mrs.  Thomas,  who  was  a  connoisseur  of  architec- 
ture, had  had  the  necessary  repairs  and  altera- 
tions made  to  harmonize  with  the  rest,  and  had 
furnished  it  throughout  with  the  old  mahogany 
furniture  belonging  to  the  period  when  it  was  built. 
Everything  about  the  house  was  genuine,  and  this 
pleased  Thomas.  The  things  that  looked  old  were 
old,  and  those  that  were  modern  were  not  imita- 
tions, but  only  selected  so  as  to  be  in  keeping 
with  the  rest.  Each  room  had  a  big,  generous 
fireplace  for  wood,  with  polished  brass  andirons 
and  fender,  and  the  house  was  surrounded  out- 
side with  large  grounds,  laid  out  in  lawns  and 
gardens  and  shaded  with  fine  old  trees. 

But  Thomas  was  not  allowed  to  remain  long  in 
this  quiet  retreat,  for  the  Chicago  Summer  Night 
season  was  at  hand,  and  this  year  of  all  others  he 


303 

could  not  afford  to  lose  any  chance  of  earning 
money.  He  had  rented  a  little  furnished  flat  to 
live  in  while  in  Chicago,  and  shortly  before  leaving 
home  he  wrote  me  the  following  letter: 

FAIRHAVEN,  MASS.,  June  29,  1887. 
Dear  Miss  Fay: 

I  shall  leave  Boston  on  Saturday  afternoon,  and  arrive 
in  Chicago  Sunday  evening  at  half -past  nine.  Sachleben 
and  the  orchestra  go  by  another  line,  but  arrive  at  the 
same  time. 

If  that  girl  of  mine — cook — could  have  some  cold  meat 
for  us,  and  perhaps  some  very  cold  sliced  tomatoes,  Ger- 
man rye  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  claret,  I  should  be  more 
than  thankful  not  to  have  to  go  out  to  a  restaurant  that 
night  for  a  meal.  Will  you  kindly  tell  her,  and  perhaps 
lay  out  for  us  anything  that  is  necessary?  I  will  refund 
you  at  once,  for  although  I  have  not  received  a  penny  of 
salary  from  the  National  Opera  Company,  I  am  still 
"  flush  "  enough  to  pay  my  expenses.  I  have  given  my 
claim  into  the  hands  of  my  lawyer.  My  vacation  has  been 
much  broken  up  by  this  business,  but  I  have  had  some 
rest  anyway. 

Thanking  you  in  advance  for  many  kindnesses,  believe 

me  . 

Sincerely  yours,  _,  „. 

THEODOEE  THOMAS. 

The  Chicago  season  passed  uneventfully,  and 
at  last  the  time  came  when  Thomas  found  him- 
self peacefully  installed  in  his  new  Fairhaven 
home  for  a  long  rest.  As  he  looked  from  the 
windows  of  his  study,  and  watched  the  sunset 
glow  fade  behind  the  leafy  arches  of  its  graceful 
elms,  he  gave  the  place  the  name  "  Sunset,"  add- 


304          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ing,  "  And  may  it  prove  to  be  a  fair  haven  for 
us  all." 

While  at  Fairhaven  Thomas  received  another 
letter  from  Strauss, — now  no  longer  an  unknown 
youth,  but  a  composer  of  rapidly  widening  repu- 
tation,— in  regard  to  a  new  orchestral  work  which 
he  had  just  published: 

MUNICH,  Aug.  27,  1887. 
Highly  honored  Mr.  Thomas: 

When  you  were  so  kind,  two  years  ago,  as  to  write  me 
in  regard  to  the  performance  of  my  F  minor  symphony, 
you  were  good  enough  to  hold  out  to  me  the  promise  that 
you  would  bring  out  in  the  western  world  another  or- 
chestral work  of  mine.  A  second  composition  of  this  kind 
is  to  be  published  in  October,  score  and  parts;  it  is  a 
Symphonic  Fantasie  in  four  movements: 

I.  The  Campagna  (Lento). 

II.  The  Ruins  of  Rome  (Allegro  con  brio). 

III.  On  the  Strand  of  Sorrento  (Andante). 

IV.  Neapolitan  Folks'  Life  (Allegro  vivace). 

Would  you  permit  me  to  ask,  encouraged  by  your 
friendly  offer,  whether  I  might  venture  to  hope  that  the 
work  might  be  given  under  your  direction  in  New  York? 

I  myself  conducted  the  first  performance  of  it  here  in 
Munich,  March  1,  and  achieved  a  fine  success,  although 
a  not  altogether  uncontested  one.  The  Fantasie  offers 
an  especial  freedom  of  form,  entirely  new  and  unusual,  and 
it  would  naturally  be  viewed  with  hostility  by  the  old 
musicians  who  were  brought  here  to  fill  positions  as  func- 
tionaries. As  to  the  technical  part  of  the  work,  it  belongs 
to  the  most  difficult  which  the  modern  school  of  music 
has  produced,  and  we  have  very  few  orchestras  here  which 


C3 
S 


«5 
<a 

a 

o 

E 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          305 

could  cope  with  it,  especially  the  last  movement.  Few 
concert  organizations  have  great  orchestras  and  con- 
ductors of  genius  who  can  grasp  the  intellectual  contents 
of  a  work,  such  as  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society, 
which,  under  your  leadership,  stands  in  the  first  rank. 
It  is  therefore  all  the  more  important  for  me  that  the 
Philharmonic  Society  should  not  refuse  my  Italian 
Fantasie. 

Under  these  circumstances,  honored  sir,  you  will  readily 
understand  how  cheerfully  I  recalled  your  very  kind  prom- 
ise of  two  years  ago.  Buelow  has  accepted  it  for  his 
concerts  in  Berlin  and  Hamburg  next  season,  and  has 
expressed  himself  mdst  strongly  in  its  favor.  It  is  not 
quite  so  long  as  the  F  minor  symphony.  With  the  latter 
I  have  had  prodigious  luck,  and  it  has  now  been  played 
eleven  times.  In  Hamburg  by  Buelow,  in  Cologne  by 
Wuellner,  in  Berlin  twice  by  Rodecke  and  Klindworth,  in 
Amsterdam  by  Verhnlot,  in  Meiningen,  Munich,  Frank- 
fort, Dresden,  and  Wiesbaden — the  two  last  named  under 
my  own  direction.  Next  winter  I  am  invited  to  conduct 
it  in  the  Leipsic  Gewandhaus. 

You  are  already  aware  that  I  have  been  for  the  last 
two  years  conductor  at  the  Hof  Theater  here.  I  like  the 
position  very  much,  as  it  allows  me  time  for  my  composi- 
tion. How  goes  the  world  with  you  ?  Well,  I  hope.  With 
heartiest  greetings,  in  which  my  father  joins,  I  remain 
Yours  with  sympathy  and  respect, 

RICHAED  STBAUSS. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  Thomas  consented  to 
perform  the  new  "  Italian  Fantasie  "  with  pleas- 
ure, and  brought  it  out  during  the  following 
March. 


CHAPTER  XV 

1887-1888 

THOMAS   RETURNS   TO   CONCERT   WORK DISAPPOINTMENT 

THE     CINCINNATI     FESTIVAL     OF     1888 DISBANDING    OF 

THE    THOMAS    ORCHESTRA   IN    CHICAGO PROGRAMME    OF 

THE  LAST  CONCERT ILLNESS  OF  MRS.  THOMAS AN  UN- 
RECORDED  SEASON THE  DEATH   OF   MRS.   THOMAS 

DURING  the  second  season  of  American  opera, 
Thomas,  as  we  have  seen,  had  given  up  the  greater 
part  of  his  concert  work,  in  order  to  devote  his 
time  wholly  to  the  opera,  retaining  only  the  New 
York  and  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Societies,  and  a 
few  other  engagements.  He  had  resigned  from 
the  Liederkranz,  and  disbanded  his  two  chorus 
societies.  In  short  his  own  business  was  scattered 
to  the  four  winds,  and  must  now  be  built  up  anew 
from  the  foundation.  Unfortunately  it  is  much 
easier  to  scatter  a  clientele  of  any  kind,  than 
it  is  to  gather  it  together  again,  and  Thomas 
was  not  long  in  discovering  that  he  had  made  a 
terrible  mistake  in  allowing  the  splendid  audience 
he  had  formed,  and  which  had  hitherto  been  like 
a  bed-rock  foundation  for  all  his  musical  enter- 
prises, to  slip  away  from  symphonic  influence  for 
even  a  single  year.  They  had  followed  him  un- 
questioningly  from  concert  to  opera,  but  now  they 
did  not  follow  him  back  again  from  opera  to  con- 

806 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          307 

cert,  for  all  New  York  had  become  opera-mad,  in 
the  meantime,  and  when  the  Thomas  audience 
could  no  longer  go  to  the  opera  he  conducted,  they 
simply  transferred  over  to  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
Company  and  remained  there.  He  could  not  get 
them  back  again  in  anything  like  the  numbers  that 
he  had  always  been  able  to  count  on  before.  Nor 
was  this  the  only  reason  why  his  concert  audiences 
were  diminished.  The  first  conductor  of  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  Company,  Dr.  Damrosch, 
having  died,  his  place  had  been  filled  by  Anton 
Seidl,  a  musician  who  had  been  associated  with 
Wagner  very  closely,  and  who  was  consequently 
received  in  New  York  as  the  very  apostle  of  mod- 
ern music.  In  addition  to  his  musical  claims  upon 
the  interest  of  the  public,  Mr.  Seidl  possessed  a 
winning  personality  which  soon  created  for  him  a 
strong  following,  not  only  in  opera  but  also  in  con- 
cert, and  he  gave  a  great  many  concerts  with  the 
large  orchestra  of  the  Metropolitan  company.  The 
Boston  orchestra  was  also  in  the  field,  not  only  in 
New  York,  but,  what  was  much  worse  for  Thomas, 
it  now  visited  all  the  cities  of  the  "  Highway," 
thus  giving  him  a  formidable  competitor  which 
cut  off  his  profits  everywhere  else.  Add  to  this 
competition,  the  newly-passed  inter-state  transpor- 
tation laws,  which  prevented  traveling  troupes 
from  getting  reductions  on  their  railroad  expenses, 
and  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  why,  although 
he  gave  many  concerts  during  the  season  of  1887- 
88,  he  was  unable  to  make  them  pay,  but  steadily 
lost  money  throughout  the  year.  Thomas  was  now 


308          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

some  years  beyond  the  half -century  mark;  hard 
work  and  disappointments  had  left  their  scars 
upon  his  soul,  and  robbed  him  of  the  buoyant  con- 
fidence of  youth  and  hope  with  which  he  had  for- 
merly faced  the  world.  The  future  began  to  look 
dark,  and  anxious  forebodings  filled  his  heart.  In 
May,  however,  the  Cincinnati  Festival  allowed 
him  to  forget,  for  a  time,  the  reverses  of  fortune 
and  once  more  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  great  work 
successfully  accomplished.  During  the  first  week 
of  the  month  he  went  to  Cincinnati  for  a  few 
preliminary  rehearsals,  and  while  there  wrote  me 
as  follows: 

CINCINNATI,  May  1,  1888. 
Dear  Miss  Fay: 

I  arrived  here  yesterday,  held  a  rehearsal  last  night, 
and  have  another  to-night.  I  leave  for  New  York  to- 
morrow morning.  I  hope  to  get  through  my  business 
there  in  time  to  go  to  Fairhaven  Friday  night,  and  rest 
at  home  four  or  five  days,  after  which  I  hold  two 
rehearsals  in  New  York  preparing  the  orchestral  works 
of  the  Festival  and  leave  Sunday  morning,  the  13th,  again, 
for1  Cincinnati,  to  hold  chorus  rehearsals  there  during  the 
rest  of  the  week.  By  the  18th  the  orchestra  and  all  solo- 
ists are  in  Cincinnati  and  the  first  full  rehearsal  takes 
place  Friday  evening. 

Why  don't  you  and  your  sister,  Miss  Amy,  come  to 
the  Festival  in  time  for  all  these  rehearsals,  as  well  as  the 
concerts?  The  Festival  promises  to  be  very  enjoyable, 
and  the  standard  high.  For  the  orchestra  I  bring  every 
man  with  me  from  New  York.  I  am  sorry  that  Miss  Amy 
heard  the  last  Philharmonic  rehearsal  instead  of  the  con- 
cert. The  former  was  very  poor  this  time.  The  weather 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          309 

was  bad — warm  and  rainy — the  men  tired  out,  everybody 
busy  with  ending  the  New  York  season,  and  I  myself  tired 
out,  even  fearing  I  might  drop.  I  was  so  tired  that  I 
even  opened  the  wrong  scores  at  home  in  the  evening.  But 
by  Saturday  night  I  was  all  right  again,  and  the  men 
also,  and  the  result  was  a  memorable  performance. 

As  to  the  invitation  you  forwarded  in  behalf  of  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  to  write  a  paper 
for  its  next  meeting,  all  I  can  say  is  that  anyone  who 
expects  me  to  do  anything  of  the  kind  does  not  take  in 
my  work  and  has  no  idea  of  the  amount  and  quality  of  it. 
Please  ask  Miss  Amy  to  tell  the  Committee  that  I  am  too 
busy  and  too  tired  to  do  it. 

In  regard  to  a  flat  for  the  Chicago  Summer  Night  sea- 
son, I  do  not  intend  to  rent  one.  I  lost  heavily  this  win- 
ter again,  and  I  am  too  poor  to  allow  myself  anything 
beyond  reasonable  comfort.  I  shall  take  one  room  in  a 
hotel,  be  saving  during  the  five  weeks  in  Chicago,  and 
bring  home  all  I  can. 

I  am  tired,  but  what  makes  me  tired  is  that  I  have  no 
audience  to  play  to.  The  public  learns,  but  I  also  learn 
and  advance  more  than  the  public  does,  and  the  breach 
between  us  grows  wider.  I  am  very  tired. 

Yours  sincerely, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

It  had  been  the  custom  of  my  sister  and  myself 
to  attend  the  Cincinnati  Festivals  as  the  corre- 
spondents of  two  of  the  Chicago  journals,  and  we 
were  very  glad  to  have  a  chance  to  hear  some  of  the 
last  private  rehearsals,  as  well  as  the  public  per- 
formances. We  reached  Cincinnati,  therefore,  a 
day  or  two  in  advance,  and  the  following  quota- 
tions are  taken  from  Miss  Fay's  account  of  the 


310         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Festival  which  appeared  in  the  Indicator f  the  lead- 
ing Chicago  musical  paper  of  that  day : 

"  The  day  preceding  the  opening  of  the  Festival  was 
my  birthday,"  wrote  Miss  Fay,  "  and  as  I  had  been  in- 
vited by  Mr.  Thomas  to  hear  the  final  private  rehearsals, 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  my  birthday  was  going  to  be 
celebrated  in  exactly  the  way  I  most  enjoy!-  There  is 
nothing  more  delightful  than  to  attend  the  last  rehearsals 
of  a  great  musical  festival.  Everybody  arrives  in  the 
best  of  spirits,  and  is  delighted  to  meet  everybody  else. 
The  music  is  already  learned,  and  all  are  curious  to  get 
the  general  effect  of  how  it  will  sound  when  chorus  and 
orchestra  come  together.  The  solo  artists  have  the  pleas- 
ing expectation  of  new  triumphs,  and  the  conductor  has 
a  sense  of  responsibility  and  achievement,  and  arrives 
armed  to  the  teeth  with  scores  and  determined  to  put 
his  forces  through  in  a  manner  undreamed  of  by  them. 
One  goes  to  the  music  hall  in  the  cool  of  the  morning, 
and  the  solitude  and  emptiness  of  the  great  auditorium 
are  refreshing  as  contrasted  with  the  swarms  of  human 
beings  who  will  shortly  fill  it.  Thomas  had  given  us  our 
orders,  '  Be  at  the  hall  punctually  at  ten  o'clock,  for  I 
mean  to  begin  sharp.'  We  obeyed  to  the  minute — for 
there  is  nothing  Thomas  dislikes  so  much  as  unpunctu- 
ality — but  he  had  already  begun.  As  we  entered  the  build- 
ing the  divine  strains  of  Tannhaeuser  greeted  our  ears. 
How  deliciously  the  sirens  called  to  me  as  I  passed  up  the 
corridor,  preceded  by  Frau  Lilli  Lehmann  *and  her  hus- 
band, Paul  Kalisch ! 

"  The  Wagner  numbers  selected  by  Thomas  for  the  re- 
hearsal were  those  with  Lehmann,  Kalisch,  and  the  great 
English  tenor,  Edward  Lloyd,  in  the  solo  parts.  Before 
we  left  the  hotel,  we  had  met  Thomas  on  the  stairs  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          311 

he  had  expressed  himself  as  feeling  very  tired,  and  indeed 
he  looked  completely  wilted.  I  was  therefore  amazed  to 
find  him  conducting  with  all  the  fire  and  freshness  that  is 
pent  up  in  this  extraordinary  man  in  an  apparently  inex- 
haustible store,  ready  for  him  to  draw  upon  whenever  he 
needs  them.  The  moment  he  grasped  his  baton — which, 
by  the  way,  is  a  delicate  little  white  wand,  hardly  larger 
than  a  pencil — and  felt  himself  the  presiding  genius  of 
that  great  orchestra,  he  seemed  to  rise  to  his  work  with 
Titanic  vigor.  .  .  .  The  rehearsal  closed  with  the  singing 
of  *  Walther's  Preislied '  by  Lloyd,  and  we  went  back  to 
the  hotel  with  our  ears  fairly  ringing  with  music. 

"  By  evening,  however,  we  were  ready  for  another  dose. 
Punctually  at  seven  Thomas  was  on  the  stand  again,  and 
we  settled  down  to  a  purely  orchestral  rehearsal  this  time. 
Space  would  fail  me  to  describe  all  the  things  we  heard 
on  that  delightful  evening,  but  I  must  not  forget  to  men- 
tion the  wonderful  effect  that  Beethoven's  Pastoral  Sym- 
phony made  with  so  large  an  orchestra.  I  had  never  heard 
it  under  such  circumstances  before,  and  I  must  say  that 
never  did  its  surpassing  beauty  shine  out  so  to  my  mental 
vision.  The  storm  episode  was  perfectly  thrilling.  While 
it  was  going  on,  J.  K.  Paine,  the  composer,  had  slid 
quietly  into  the  hall  and  sat  down  beside  me.  He  had  just 
arrived  from  Cambridge,  having  come  on  to  hear  the 
performance  of  his  new  Cantata,  *  Song  of  Promise,' 
which  was  to  be  given  at  the  Festival. 

"  '  What  fire  Thomas  puts  into  that  orchestra,  and  what 
wonderfully  sensuous  colors  he  gets  out  of  those  instru- 
ments ! '  he  exclaimed. 

"  *  Yes,5  said  I,  '  but  he  has  some  very  remarkable 
artists  in  the  orchestra,  you  must  remember.' 

"  '  That  is  true,'  said  Paine,  '  but  he  does  it  all  the  same 
with  any  musicians  he  conducts.  Why,  I  am  sure  he 


312          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

would  make  even  me  do  it  if  I  went,  up  on  the  stage  and 
blew  one  of  those  horns,  this  minute — though  it  might 
happen  that  I  would  squawk  occasionally,'  he  added 
prudently. 

"  I  had  another  great  sensation  in  Chopin's  Funeral 
March,  which  Thomas  has  orchestrated  in  a  manner  that 
could  not  be  surpassed  by  Wagner  himself.  The  effect 
as  he  plays  it  is  stupendous.  The  muted  horns  and  clang- 
ing cymbals  make  it  seem  like  the  march  of  all  humanity 
into  the  grave.  One  feels  that  they  are  all  going  down 
into  that  pit — millions  of  lives  are  to  be  extinguished  in 
it,  and  the  tramp  of  feet  is  bringing  it  nearer,  nearer.  It 
is  frightful.  And  then  the  middle  portion,  played  by  those 
wailing  violins,  is  like  a  dirge  sung  by  the  universal  spirit, 
and  is  indescribably  mournful  and  pathetic,  and  yet 
heavenly  too.  Yes,  that  Funeral  March  gave  me  more 
than  a  sensation,  it  was  a  positive  shock,  I  could  scarcely 
rise  from  under  it.  Luckily  Thomas  ended  the  rehearsal 
with  Liszt's  jolly  and  exciting  Second  Rhapsody,  and 
Rubinstein's  '  La  Russie.'  The  last  is  a  sort  of  potpourri 
of  folk  songs  leading  up  through  all  the  different  tribes 
of  Russia  to  the  national  hymn.  The  close  is  like  a 
regular  Fourth-of-July  '  hurrah-boys.'  The  orchestra 
was  by  this  time  fatigued  almost  to  the  point  of  exhaus- 
tion; to  brighten  them  up  as  they  neared  the  close  of 
the  last  number,  Thomas  started  a  '  Hurrah ! '  and  at  once 
they  all  began  to  cheer  like  mad.  This,  with  the  rolling 
of  the  organ,  the  beating  of  the  drums,  the  clashing  of 
cymbals  in  general  co-operation  with  all  the  other  instru- 
ments, not  to  speak  of  horns  and  trumpets  blown  full- 
blast,  was  a  finale  such  as  I  never  experienced,  even  in 
Europe ! 

"  After  the  rehearsal  Thomas  joined  us,  and  we  all 
walked  back  to  the  hotel  together,  to  a  pleasant  little  sup- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          313 

per  which  he  gave  in  honor  of  my  birthday.  While  we 
were  at  the  table  the  conversation  turned  upon  the  storm 
in  the  Pastoral  Symphony,  and  Thomas  told  us  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  incident : 

"  *  Once  in  my  life  I  had  a  great  sensation  while  con- 
ducting that  movement.  We  were  playing  in  the  Central 
Park  Garden,  which,  you  know,  is  built  upon  a  rock. 
The  night  was  stormy,  and,  being  warm,  all  the  windows 
were  open.  Exactly  at  the  instant  when  Beethoven  brings 
the  crash  of  thunder  in  the  storm  episode  of  this  sym- 
phony, a  real  thunderbolt  of  the  most  terrific  kind  rent 
the  heavens — it  came  precisely  with  the  fall  of  my  stick! 
Ah,  that  was  a  moment  to  live  for !  Only  I  ought  to  have 
had  an  orchestra  of  a  thousand  to  match  such  an  instru- 
ment of  percussion ! ' 

"...  The  sixth  concert  of  the  Festival  was  a  matinee, 
and  the  programme  was  composed  of  orchestral  and  solo 
numbers,  no  chorus  work  being  given.  Amongst  the  solos 
was  Rossini's  '  Cujus  Animam,'  sung  by  Lloyd,  rather 
against  his  will.  I  heard  him  complaining  about  it  the 
day  before.  *  Mr.  Thomas  has  put  me  down  for  two 
sacred  selections  for  to-morrow.  Instead  of  the  number 
from  the  "  Stabat  Mater,"  I  would  rather  have  sung 
something  by  Gounod,  and  on  the  list  I  sent  him  I  under- 
lined twice  an  aria  from  "  La  Reine  de  Saba  "  that  I  was 
particularly  anxious  to  sing.  It  has  a  fine  orchestral 
accompaniment,  too,  and  I  do  not  see  what  Mr.  Thomas' 
idea  was  in  preferring  the  other,'  said  Lloyd,  in  a  tone  of 
well-bred  disapprobation.  After  this  I  was  very  much 
interested  to  see  how  Lloyd  would  come  out  on  this  num- 
ber, for  I  too  thought  it  queer  in  Thomas.  The  result, 
however,  entirely  justified  the  judgment  of  that  sagacious 
programme-maker.  The  '  Cujus  Animam '  was  familiar 
to  the  public,  and  as  Lloyd  sang  it  magnificently  there 


314          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

was  a  perfect  storm  of  applause.  It  was  such  an  ovation, 
in  fact,  that  it  resulted  in  one  of  those  curious  battles 
that  Thomas  sometimes  has  with  the  public  in  regard  to 
giving  encores.  At  festivals  his  rule  is  that  no  encores  are 
permitted,  so  he  stood  there  like  a  rock,  baton  in  hand, 
while  Lloyd  was  recalled  three  times,  the  expression  of  his 
very  back  growing  more  obstinate  every  minute.  As  the 
fourth  round  of  applause  began,  Thomas  stepped  from 
his  stand  and  sat  down  in  the  orchestra,  as  much  as  to  say, 
'  Now  clap  away  till  you  are  tired,  and  I'll  wait  here  till 
you  get  through.'  There  was  a  laugh  from  the  crowd, 
which  recommenced  applauding  frantically.  Lloyd  came 
out  and  made  his  fourth  bow.  The  audience  continued 
clapping  and  stamping  harder  than  ever,  but  this  time 
Lloyd  did  not  appear  immediately,  and  after  some  minutes 
Thomas  got  up  and  with  an  air  of  resolution  disappeared 
down  the  stairway  leading  into  the  green-room.  There 
was  a  howl  of  triumph  from  the  audience,  who  thought 
he  was  vanquished,  and  would  bring  Lloyd  out  to  sing 
again,  and  the  applause  continued  still  more  furiously. 
Little  did  they  know  the  iron  Thomas!  When  he  reap- 
peared at  last,  he  brought  out,  not  Lloyd,  but  Mme. 
Valda,  who  was  the  next  on  the  programme.  This  was 
a  master-stroke,  for  the  crowd  seeing  a  beautiful  woman, 
dressed  in  the  aerial  robes  of  spring — green  tulle  trimmed 
with  garlands  of  roses — was  too  gallant  to  object,  and 
felt  constrained  to  continue  the  applause  for  her  recep- 
tion. In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  final  concert  of  the 
Festival  with  some  misgivings,  fearing  that  the  audience 
would  make  some  unpleasant  demonstration  after  the  con- 
test of  the  afternoon.  Strange  to  say  the  public  seemed 
to  be  in  high  good-humor.  The  conductor's  stand  was 
trimmed  with  masses  of  crimson  roses,  and  it  was  he  who 
received  the  ovation  this  time.  It  reminded  me  of  a  re- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          315 

mark  he  once  made  to  me  after  a  similar  battle,  in  which 
nine  thousand  people  had  roared  and  stamped,  and  even 
drowned  him  out  every  time  he  attempted  to  go  on  with  the 
next  number,  till  he  shouted  for  his  trumpets,  and  drowned 
them  out  in  turn.  *  The  public  and  I  have  our  little  fall- 
ings-out, but  we  always  meet  again ! '  Thomas  is  always 
master  of  the  situation." 

The  festival  over,  Thomas  went  home  for  a 
month,  and  the  first  of  July  saw  him  in  Chicago, 
as  usual,  for  the  Summer  Night  season.  During 
this  sojourn  he  was  in  a  very  melancholy  frame 
of  mind,  and  seemed  weighed  down  by  the  present- 
iment of  impending  disaster.  The  future  offered 
him  no  promise  for  the  reconstruction  of  his  fallen 
fortunes.  New  York  was  now  flooded  with  the  con- 
certs of  other  organizations,  and  the  only  means  by 
which  he  might  have  held  his  own  against  all  these 
competing  institutions — the  possession  of  a  suitable 
building  for  his  orchestra — was  beyond  his  reach. 
He  saw  no  possible  way  by  which  he  could  con- 
tinue to  maintain  his  orchestra  and  he  was  not 
willing  to  run  into  debt  again,  so  there  was  but 
one  course  open  to  him — to  disband  his  orchestra 
and  give  up  the  long,  fruitless  struggle  against 
fate. 

Thomas  did  not  often  place  solo  numbers  on  the 
programme  of  his  Summer  Night  concerts,  but 
during  this  season  he  brought  out  a  Concerto  of 
the  American  composer,  Edward  MacDowell,  with 
Teresa  Carreno  as  its  interpreter.  Carreno  had 
been  the  first  teacher  of  MacDowell,  in  his  child- 


316          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

hood,  and  Thomas  had  been  the  first  to  recognize 
the  genius  of  Carreno  in  her  childhood.  So  the 
two  were  much  in  sympathy  in  their  desire  to  give 
this  beautiful  American  work  the  best  presenta- 
tion. The  next  day  he  received  the  following  let- 
ter from  his  protegee  of  so  long  ago,  who  had  now 
become  one  of  the  foremost  pianists  of  the  time: 


CHICAGO,  July  6,  1888. 
Dear  Mr.  Thomas : 

It  would  have  given  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  come 
and  see  you  this  morning  instead  of  writing,  but  knowing 
how  pressed  for  time  you  are,  I  deprived  myself  of  this 
pleasure,  thinking  that  you  would  feel  thankful  that  I  did 
not  come  to  take  away  your  valuable  time  from  your 
numerous  occupations. 

I  only  wish  to  thank  you  from  all  my  heart  once  more 
for  the  kindness  and  consideration  with  which  you  treated 
me  yesterday,  and  to  tell  you  how  proud  and  happy  I  feel 
that  once  again  I  have  been  allowed  the  pleasure  and  the 
privilege  of  playing  under  your  masterly  baton. 

Let  me  also  thank  you  in  Edward  MacDowell's  name, 
who  feels  highly  honored  that  his  composition  should  have 
come  under  your  notice,  and  that  it  should  have  been 
brought  before  the  public  under  your  leadership. 

I  sincerely  hope  that  I  may  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you  again,  and,  if  I  may,  I  will  come  and  knock  at  your 
door  when  you  are  in  New  York,  and  hope  that  you  will 
always  look  upon  me  as  the  same  little  girl  whose  totter- 
ing footsteps  in  her  profession  you,  with  your  powerful 
hand,  were  the  first  to  guide  and  support. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

TEEESA  CAEEENO. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          317 

Another  pleasant  and  very  unexpected  letter 
which  came  to  Thomas  during  this  summer  was 
from  Italy,  and  announced,  in  the  customary 
grandiloquent  language  used  by  Europeans  in 
their  official  communications,  the  award  of  a  di- 
ploma of  honor  to  him  by  an  Italian  Musical 
Society,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Queen  of 
Italy,  of  which  Verdi  was  the  Honorary  President. 
Thomas  had  often  been  called  "  Meister," 
"Maestro,"  "Doctor,"  and  even  "Boss,"  but  I 
think  this  was  the  only  time  in  his  life  when  he  was 
addressed  as  "Your  Grace!" 

MILANO,  Sept.  15,  1888. 
To  THE  MOST  ILLUSTRIOUS  SIGNOE  THEODORE  THOMAS, 

Honored  Sir: 

The  President  of  the  International  Society  of  Mutual 
Protection  of  Lyric  Artists  and  Affiliated  Masters  has  the 
honor  to  express  the  admiration  of  all  its  members,  by 
inscribing  the  record  of  your  artistic  achievements  upon 
a  grand  Diploma  of  Honor,  the  brilliant  art-work  of  the 
illustrious  Senator  Tullo  Massarani,  reproduced  in  aqua 
fortis  by  the  celebrated  painter,  F.  Colombi  Borde. 

Will  your  Grace  kindly  accept  this  testimonial  and  ac- 
cord to  the  Society  your  welcome  and  powerful  endorse- 
ment. 

II  Presidente, 

DOCTOR  LODOVICO  CORIA. 

It  had  always  been  the  custom  of  Thomas  at  the 
final  rehearsal  of  the  Chicago  season  to  inform  the 
members  of  the  orchestra  of  his  plans  for  the  en- 
suing year.  On  Thursday,  August  2,  1888,  there- 


318          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

fore,  he  made  them  the  following  address  at  the 
close  of  the  rehearsal: 


"  Gentlemen : — The  time  has  come  to  communicate  to 
you  what  I  can  offer  for  next  season.  This,  however,  is 
more  easily  said  than  done,  owing  to  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances in  which  affairs  in  New  York  have  placed  me.  I 
pray  you,  therefore,  listen  attentively  in  order  that  you 
may  understand  and  appreciate  them. 

"  You  will  remember  that  last  spring,  after  the  close  of 
our  winter  season,  I  told  you  that  our  future  prospects 
were  encouraging.  What  caused  me  to  believe  this  was, 
first,  that  the  building  of  a  large  and  well-appointed 
music  hall  in  New  York  seemed  assured.  I  was  shown 
the  detailed  plans  and  understood  from  the  architect  and 
other  interested  persons  that  its  construction  would  begin 
May  1,  and  that  it  would,  consequently,  be  in  readiness  for 
our  concerts  next  winter.  But  for  this  I  should  have 
told  you  then  that  our  prospects  were  bad  and  we  had 
better  stop.  In  the  second  place,  my  friends  gave  me  the 
assurance  that  they  would  raise  a  guarantee  fund  which 
would  guard  us  against  losses  and  insure  our  position  in 
the  winter  months  in  New  York.  Thus  encouraged,  I 
looked  at  a  theater — the  Broadway — which  was  suitable 
for  matinees,  and  hoped  to  get  through  without  serious 
loss  until  the  hall  was  built.  In  regard  to  the  hall,  I  only 
know  that  there  are  no  signs  that  it  will  be  built,  so  we 
are  still  without  one.  The  guarantee  fund  is  in  better 
shape,  and  has  been  started,  but  it  is  accompanied  by  the 
condition  that  our  concerts  shall  be  given  in  some  place 
uptown,  more  favorably  located  than  that  to  which  we 
have  been  accustomed.  As  we  have  no  hall,  all  that  is  left 
is  the  theater,  which  would  confine  our  concerts  to  matinees. 
Even  if  we  should  take  the  Metropolitan  Opera-house, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          319 

it  is  questionable  if  we  could  make  dates  that  would  be 
advantageous  to  us.  From  a  business  point  of  view  I  have 
no  fears  of  non-success,  but  for  Popular  concerts  we 
should  have  to  have  an  orchestra  of  eighty  or  ninety  men, 
and  give  our  concerts  with  one  rehearsal.  Such  concerts 
are  not  desirable  and  can  lead  to  no  good  results. 

"  To  retain  a  permanent  organization  there  is  only  one 
thing  we  might  do,  and  that  is  to  travel  in  the  West 
the  whole  year.  You,  however,  would  not  be  willing  to 
lead  such  a  life,  even  if  I  were,  for  it  is  wearisome  and  not 
conducive  to  any  high  standard.  So  long,  therefore,  as 
New  York  gives  us  no  hold  upon  success  in  the  shape  of 
a  hall  where  the  public  can  be  pleasantly  and  conveniently 
accommodated,  a  permanent  orchestra  seems  to  me  to  be 
no  longer  possible. 

"  It  was  only  last  week  that  I  wrote  the  committee  of  the 
guarantee  fund  that  I  could  not  say  whether  we  could 
give  the  proposed  matinees  or  not,  as  that  would  depend 
on  the  orchestra  at  my  disposal.  I  can  however  tell  you 
this;  I  have  been  requested  to  give  winter  concerts  in  Chi- 
cago, and  offers  have  been  made  to  guarantee  them.  But 
the  number  of  the  concerts  would  depend  on  those  we 
could  give  in  other  cities.  We  should  have  to  give  one, 
at  least,  between  here  and  New  York,  both  going  and  re- 
turning, in  order  to  make  it  practicable. 

"  This,  even  if  it  could  be  arranged,  would  take  a  long 
time  to  accomplish.  I  hope  you  understand,  therefore, 
why  I  cannot  say  now  how  much  work  I  can  promise 
you.  It  would  seem  that  there  may  be  some  con- 
certs, but  the  standard  of  such  desultory  work  would  be 
doubtful.  It  is  only  lately  that  I  have  been  able  to  come 
to  a  decision,  and  know  just  what  is  best  and  right  to  do. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  I  cannot  prevent  you  from 
making  other  engagements,  signing  other  contracts,  or 


320          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

giving  lessons.  But  I  shall  expect  that  you  will  notify 
me  if  you  make  any  engagements  that  will  hinder  you  from 
appearing  at  any  time  in  concerts  in  or  out  of  New  York, 
and  meantime  I  will  ascertain  as  expeditiously  as  possible 
how  many  concerts  will  be  at  my  disposal." 

The  foregoing  statement  from  Thomas  came 
like  a  bolt  from  the  blue  to  both  orchestra  and 
public.  But,  although  many  beautiful  and  appre- 
ciative tributes  to  Thomas  and  his  work  appeared 
in  the  press  all  over  the  country,  and  much  lamen- 
tation was  expressed  by  music-lovers  everywhere, 
no  one  came  forward  to  save  the  organization, 
which  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  had  been 
the  cornerstone  of  American  music,  and  had  taught 
the  people,  of  not  only  the  large  cities,  but  of  the 
remotest  towns,  in  every  part  of  the  land,  to  know 
and  love  the  very  highest  flower  of  musical  art. 
Consequently,  the  closing  concert  of  the  Chicago 
Summer  Night  season  was  the  final  performance 
that  the  old  Theodore  Thomas  Orchestra  gave  as 
an  organized  institution,  owned  and  controlled  by 
its  founder  and  leader. 

Had  Thomas  been  sure  that  this  was  to  be  the 
case,  no  doubt  he  would  have  arranged  the  pro- 
gramme with  some  reference  to  the  occasion,  but 
he  still  hoped  that  something  would  happen  which 
would  call  his  men  together  again  before  they 
were  scattered  irreclaimably,  and  enable  him  to 
reconstruct  the  orchestra  once  more  on  a  perma- 
nent basis.  He,  therefore,  made  no  difference  in 
the  programme  of  this  concert,  which  was  similar 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          321 

in  character  to  any  other  Saturday  night  pro- 
gramme, except  for  the  final  number,  Wagner's 
grandiose  Kaiser  Marsch,  which  ends  with  Luther's 
inspiring  choral,""  Eiri  feste  Burg  ist  unser  Gott." 
Whether  this  selection  was  intentional  or  not,  I 
cannot  say,  but  it  was  certainly  fitting  that  the 
passing  of  an  institution  which  had  achieved  such 
great  work  for  art  and  humanity  should  have 
been  accompanied  by  the  most  stately  and  impres- 
sive music.  It  was  also  a  curious  coincidence  that 
the  last  official  concert  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra 
should  have  taken  place  in  Chicago,  the  city  in 
which  it  was  subsequently  reassembled. 

THE  LAST  PROGRAMME 
OF 

THE  THEODORE  THOMAS  ORCHESTRA 
OF  NEW  YORK 

Chicago,  August  4,  1888 

Festival  Overture Lassen 

Wedding  Music.  ., Jensen 

Spinning    Chorus,    and    Sailors'    Chorus,    "  Flying 

Dutchman  " Wagner 

Intermission 

Gavotte,  Sicilienne,  Bourree Bach 

Fugue,  A  minor  (string  orchestra) Bach 

Bal  Costume",  Second  Suite Rubinstein 

Intermission 

Tarantelle  for  Flute  and  Clarinet Saint  Saens 

Messrs.  Otto  Oesterle  and  Joseph  Schreurs 

Album  blatt .  . Wagner 

Kaiser  Marsch Wagner 


322          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Heart-breaking  as  his  professional  disasters  had 
been  to  Thomas,  a  far  deeper  and  keener  anxiety 
awaited  him  at  home.  His  wife,  never  very  strong, 
had  become  very  ill  during  his  absence,  and  on  his 
return  he  found  her  condition  so  serious  that  he 
thought  it  important  to  place  her  under  expert 
medical  care,  and  the  family  consequently  went 
back  to  New  York  earlier  than  usual.  In 
acknowledgment  of  some  pictures  of  himself  which 
I  had  ordered  at  his  request  from  a  Chicago  pho- 
tographer, he  sent  me  the  following  letter  just  be- 
fore leaving  for  the  city: 

FAIRHAVEN,  September  30,  1888. 
Dear  Miss  Fay: 

I  have  been  packing  all  day,  and  trying  to  sort  and 
answer  my  letters,  but  made  little  headway.  It  is  late 
now,  but  I  will  write  a  few  lines  to-night,  yet,  for  fear  that 
I  will  not  have  time  when  I  reach  New  York.  Thank  you 
for  the  photographs,  which  I  received  safely.  I  have  writ- 
ten a  few  lines  to  Mrs.  Stone  and  sent  her  the  promised 
picture,  so  that  is  attended  to. 

Mrs.  Thomas  went  to  New  York  a  few  days  ago,  very 
ill.  I  am  very  anxious  about  her.  Hector  and  Hermann 
went  with  her,  but  Minna  and  Marian  remained  behind 
with  me.  To-morrow  we  lock  up  the  house  and  follow, 
servants  and  all.  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  leave  the  country 
so  early.  I  have  a  house,  but  that  is  all.  Had  I  worked 
in  Europe  one  year,  as  I  have  worked  here  every  year,  I 
would  have  had  money  to  live  on  besides.  There  are  two 
sides  to  everything,  and  I  do  not  care  much  for  the  funny 
side,  but  sometimes  a  serious  matter  becomes  or  appears 
funny  to  me. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          323 

I  did  not  score  your  Chopin  Polonaise — which,  by  the 
way,  Rubinstein  also  wanted  me  to  score,  when  he  was  in 
this  country  long  ago, — because  there  is  another  arrange- 
ment already,  by  the  same  man  who  scored  the  Liszt  Sec- 
ond Rhapsody.  I  never  played  this  arrangement  because 
the  scoring  does  not  do  justice  to  the  composition:  at  the 
same  time  there  are  so  many  points  in  his  scoring  exactly 
like  the  sketch  that  I  made  that  I  thought  I  could  alter 
his  work  and  make  it  satisfactory.  But  I  finally  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  I  would  rearrange  it  altogether. 
You  can  understand,  however,  that  all  this  caused  loss  of 
time,  and  took  away  my  desire  to  score  this  Polonaise. 
But  I  will  score  it  some  time  this  winter,  and  start  fresh 
at  it.  Meantime  I  have  composed  an  Inaugural,  Festival, 
or  Wedding  March — we  will  see  what  name  Providence 
will  give  it. — The  score  is  fully  as  long  as  that  of  an 
overture,  and  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  copyist. 

I  had  a  nice  letter  from  your  brother  Norman,  and  I 
will  try  to  meet  him  and  tell  him  some  things  I  can  hardly 
write  in  a  letter.  Tell  Miss  Amy  that  I  read  her  book, 
"  Music  Study  in  Germany,"  with  interest  on  the  cars, 
and  have  sent  it  back  to  her.  I  hope  she  received  it. 

Sincerely  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

The  winter  of  1888-89  was  the  most  terrible 
year  of  his  life  to  Thomas.  His  professional  career 
was  wrecked,  his  orchestra  disbanded,  his  property 
lost,  and  his  beloved  wife  lying  on  her  death-bed 
during  all  those  fearful  months.  He  conducted 
many  concerts,  it  is  true,  and  this  enabled  him  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  members  of  his  orchestra 
for  the  time  being,  but  no  high  standard  was  pos- 
sible in  this  desultory  kind  of  work,  when  his 


324          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

men  played  anywhere  and  everywhere  between 
times.  "  My  men  are  all  ruined,"  he  said  mourn- 
fully, "  by  constant  playing  at  balls  and  dances,  for 
a  living.  A  nice  state  of  affairs,  truly,  that  after 
a  lifetime  of  hard  work  the  members  of  my  or- 
chestra must  play  for  dancing  in  order  to  live." 
He  did  not  have  to  conduct  for  dancing,  for- 
tunately, but  his  contempt  for  the  class  of  work 
he  was  obliged  to  do,  is  shown  by  his  programme 
record-book  for  this  year.  Not  a  single  pro- 
gramme was  entered  in  it  from  August  5,  1888, 
to  July  1,  1889,  but  the  pages  where  they  should 
have  been  were  left  blank.  He  did  not  take 
enough  interest  in  these  "  shop  concerts,"  as  he 
called  them,  to  record  them.  Even  the  Phil- 
harmonic programmes  were  only  jotted  down  in 
a  pocket  note-book.  He  worked  as  conscientiously 
as  he  could,  to  return  good  measure  for  "  value 
received,"  but  it  was  work,  pure  and  simple,  with- 
out inspiration  or  future,  simply  for  a  living,  and 
Theodore  Thomas  could  not  be  satisfied  to  work 
in  that  way.  To  give  what  he  considered  mediocre 
performances  merely  for  money,  was  deadly  to 
him,  and  made  him  feel  actually  dishonest.  Early 
in  December,  he  wrote: 

NEW  YORK,  Dec.  4,  1888. 
Dear  Miss  Fay: 

I  returned  Sunday  from  a  short  concert  tour,  all  broken 
up.  I  have  received  your  letter  and  inclose  the  Philhar- 
monic programmes  you  ask  for.  On  the  3d  Brooklyn  I 
have  placed  some  Bach  numbers  which  I  have  transcribed 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          325 

for    orchestra    during   my   wife's    illness,    while   waiting 
on  her. 

So  far  I  have  had  the  men  of  my  orchestra  in  New 
York  yet,  but  Bour  leaves  for  Paris  this  week,  and 
Schreurs  also  leaves  for  Europe  a  week  later.  Four  weeks 
more  and  the  Thomas  Orchestra  will  belong  to  the  past, 
for  I  think  the  men  have  waited  long  enough  now.  As 
for  myself,  I  will  not  and  cannot  play  in  New  York  any 
longer,  under  these  conditions.  I  long  for  the  Philhar- 
monic concerts  to  come  to  an  end,  and  only  wait  for  my 
wife  to  improve  in  health  so  that  I  can  leave  in  French 
fashion.  Do  not  expect  me  to  write  letters.  I  am  very 
busy  and  very  nervous.  I  want  the  world  to  let  me  alone — 
and  also  my  friends.  I  know  exactly  what  I  want,  and 
my  work  is  laid  out.  I  am  not  "  blue,"  but  the  illness  of 
my  wife  makes  me  very  nervous,  and  of  course  I  do  not 
like  this  unsettled  state  of  affairs  either. 
Very  truly, 

THEODOEE  THOMAS. 

What  plan  he  had  in  mind  I  do  not  know,  for 
it  was  never  carried  out.  Mrs.  Thomas  did  not 
improve  in  health,  but  after  lingering  through  the 
winter  months,  died  on  April  4,  1889.  Thomas 
was  nearly  prostrated  by  the  blow.  His  iron  will 
enabled  him  to  conduct  the  few  concerts  which 
remained  of  his  spring  contracts,  but  as  soon  as 
they  were  over  he  retired,  in  an  almost  dazed  con- 
dition, to  his  Fairhaven  home. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

1889-1891 

THOMAS  IN  HIS  HOME— A  NATIONAL,  TESTIMONIAL,  CONCERT 

TOUR A     MEMORABLE     PERFORMANCE     OF     THE     NINTH 

SYMPHONY THOMAS       MARRIES       MISS       ROSE       FAY      OF 

CHICAGO 

WHEN  Thomas  left  New  York  for  his  country 
home,  in  the  spring  of  1889,  he  was  a  heart- 
broken man.  He  did  not  care  so  much  about  his 
financial  losses,  for  he  knew  he  would  be  able  to 
make  them  good  again,  but  two  of  the  greatest 
calamities  that  could  have  happened  to  him — the 
death  of  his  wife,  and  the  loss  of  his  orchestra — 
had  devastated  his  life.  The  future  was  all  a 
blank,  turn  which  way  he  would,  and  seemed  to 
offer  him  no  rallying-point  at  which  to  collect  his 
scattered  forces.  Fortunately  for  him,  his  chil- 
dren were  still  under  his  roof  and  to  be  provided 
for,  and  the  spur  of  necessity  forced  him  to  re- 
newed effort  in  spite  of  himself,  and  left  him  little 
time  for  idle  repining. 

When  he  reached  Fairhaven  he  was  so  pros- 
trated mentally,  that,  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  he  found  himself  unable  to  fix  his  attention 
on  any  kind  of  work,  or  to  form  any  plans  for  the 
future.  "  I  have  had  no  sense  for  music  or  any- 
thing else,  since  my  loss,"  he  wrote,  "  except  to  be 

326 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          327 

with  my  children.  These  lines  are  the  first  I  have 
written,  or,  in  fact,  the  only  thing  I  could  bring 
myself  to  do,  except  the  few  concerts  I  had  to 
conduct,  and  in  which  I  took  no  interest.  I  need 
rest  and  am  glad  I  am  at  home."  After  a  time, 
however,  the  companionship  of  his  family  and  the 
quiet  beauty  of  his  country  home  began  to  exercise 
a  soothing  influence  on  his  perturbed  spirit,  and 
he  became  calmer,  and  then  it  seemed  to  afford  him 
some  relief  to  write  letters — a  strange  thing  for 
him,  who  had  never  before  put  pen  to  paper  when 
he  could  avoid  it.  These  letters  give  a  graphic 
picture  of  Thomas  in  his  home  life,  and  of  his 
gradual  return  to  a  more  normal  and  healthy  con- 
dition of  mind;  they  are,  therefore,  quoted  some- 
what at  length: 

"  FAIRHAVEN,  May,  1889. 

"  I  meant  to  have  written  last  week,  but  I  have  so  many 
ups  and  downs  that  I  could  not.  I  have  at  last  begun 
to  read,  and  have  sent  to  New  York  for  some  material  for 
work,  so  I  hope  to  begin  to  do  something  again  after 
this. 

"  The  weather  has  been  particularly  favorable  for  vege- 
tation and  the  country  looks  more  rich  and  beautiful  than 
I  have  ever  seen  it.  At  least  our  grounds  and  garden  do. 
We  have  planted  a  number  of  young  trees  and  there  is 
no  end  to  little  improvements.  Our  life  here  consists  of 
three  divisions — exercise,  good,  plain  living,  and  sleep.  I 
have  even  gone  back  to  a  pipe,  but  don't  be  afraid !  I 
shall  not  bring  my  pipe  along  to  Chicago,  but  here  in 
the  country  the  boys  and  I  have  decided  that  we  will  only 
invite  guests  whose  constitution  can  stand  a  pipe! 

"  Do  you  know  that  I  have  one  of  the  finest  dogs  in  the 


328          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

country?  He  is  a  mastiff,  given  me  by  the  secretary  of 
the  Mastiff  Club, — a  fine  beast  about  ten  months  old.  We 
had  a  bulldog  too,  a  very  funny  and  good-natured  animal, 
but  I  was  forced  to  get  rid  of  him,  there  was  too  much 
dog  about  the  place,  and  really  danger  for  outsiders.  The 
place  has  a  fine  reputation  in  consequence,  and  people  are 
afraid  to  come  near  us,  so  we  are  happily  left  alone." 


"  Yesterday  the  boys  and  I  went  to  Boston  to  do  some 
shopping.  I  need  them  to  help  me  with  mine,  they  do  not 
need  me  to  help  with  theirs.  Most  of  the  things  I  wanted 
I  did  not  find,  and  got  thoroughly  disgusted  hunting  about 
all  day  in  the  rain.  Well,  I  came  home  only  to  appreciate 
it  the  more.  Two  items,  however,  I  did  find,  and  I  will 
tell  you  about  them. 

"  My  study  I  have  furnished  very  inexpensively.  In  the 
first  place  I  sent  from  my  New  York  house  two  tall  cases, 
one  for  books  and  the  other  for  scores.  On  one  stands  a 
bust  of  Shakespeare,  on  the  other  a  bust  of  Bach,  both 
life-size.  Over  the  fireplace,  between  them — in  which  at 
present  is  burning  a  cheerful  wood-fire — hangs  a  large 
engraving  of  Mozart  at  the  court  of  Vienna.  On  the  wall 
opposite  hangs  Beethoven,  under  whom  I  sit,  before  a 
writing  table,  which  I  had  made  twenty-five  years  ago, 
and  which  faces  the  fire.  To  the  left  is  a  large  window, 
which  enables  me  to  look  out  upon  the  lawn  and  trees.  On 
one  side  of  the  window  hangs  Goethe,  a  picture  I  bought 
in  Weimar.  It  represents  him  as  an  old  man,  but  strong; 
I  have  never  seen  one  like  it  before  or  since.  Opposite 
hangs  a  picture  of  Schiller's  house  and  garden,  as  I  saw 
it  in  Weimar.  I  do  not  admire  the  likenesses  of  Schiller, 
but  I  do  admire  Schiller's  Geist,  therefore  I  prefer  a  pic- 
ture of  his  house  to  a  portrait  of  himself.  On  the  other 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          329 

side  of  the  window  will  hang,  next  week,  a  picture  of 
Schubert,  and  opposite  to  him  one  of  Schumann.  These 
I  purchased  to-day  in  Boston.  Here  you  have  my 
*  Glaubens  Bekenntniss.'  *  To  complete  the  description 
of  my  study,  on  either  side,  behind  me,  is  a  long  window 
leading  to  the  front  piazza,  which  is  shaded  by  large 
elm  trees.  To  my  left,  under  Schubert,  stands  an  old  sofa ; 
to  my  right,  under  Schumann,  is  an  upright  Steinway 
piano.  The  rest  you  must  imagine. 

"  My  other  purchase  was  for  another  room,  where  I  want 
a  *  Dutch  door '  leading  into  the  garden.  For  this  I 
had  to  find  a  man  to  come  and  take  the  measurements. 
This  room  is  used  by  the  children  in  the  morning,  to  study 
in.  I  also  bought  yesterday  for  it  an  engraving  of  Lin- 
coln, to  hang  over  the  fireplace,  opposite  to  one  of  Gen- 
eral Grant,  which  hangs  over  an  old-fashioned  '  highboy.' 
On  either  side  are  maps — the  largest  procurable — one  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  other  of  Europe.  The  room 
contains  also  pictures  of  the  California  big  trees,  which 
I  brought  from  the  Yosemite  Valley.  An  American  room, 
is  it  not?  You  see  I  am  comfortably  placed  and  my  chil- 
dren are  all  so  good  that  I  ought  to  be  happy,  but — I 
miss  my  '  home.' ' 

"  We  have  so  much  rain  that  one  is  confused,  and  hardly 
knows  in  what  climate  or  season  one  is  living.  This  morn- 
ing, at  last,  it  promised  to  be  clear,  and  my  red,  Scotch 
Peter  went  to  work  to  cut  the  rye.  Hardly  had  he  fin- 
ished his  murderous  work  when  the  heavens  began  to 
frown  again,  and  a  first-class  storm  filled  out  the  rest 
of  the  day.  It  has  rained  so  constantly  that  exercise  is 
hard  to  obtain  and  I  have  been  in  the  house  too  much  and 
read  more  than  is  good  for  me.  As  a  little  by-play  last 
*"The  articles  of  my  belief." 


330          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

week  I  arranged  Siegmund's  Love  Song  for  orchestra, 
and  yesterday  I  began  on  Schubert's  *  Erlkoenig,9  which 
is  already  half-finished.  I  will  bring  them  to  Chicago 
when  I  come,  and  play  them  some  time  during  the  sum- 
mer-night season.  To-day  I  tried  to  make  the  first  week's 
programmes  for  Chicago.  Work  for  a  living  begins 
again — Brrrrr ! 

"  A  friend  of  mine  asked  me  if  I  could  tell  him  why 
Switzerland  is  called  the  paradise  of  earth.  I  answered  him 
that  nature  is  so  grand  there  that  one  forgets  the  rest 
of  the  world,  and  the  hotels  and  service  are  so  good  that 
the  demands  of  the  body  are  all  satisfied,  consequently 
there  is  a  harmony  between  spirit  and  body  one  cannot  have 
anywhere  else.  Switzerland  is  the  only  country  I  have  a 
desire  to  visit  again." 

"  At  last  we  have  charming  weather,  and  have  had  vis- 
itors staying  in  the  house  also.  The  change  to  a  cool 
temperature  is  delightful,  though  the  warm  weather 
brought  us  an  abundance  of  strawberries  and  vegetables 
of  all  kinds.  I  have  been  working  on  the  score  of  the 
'  Erlkoenig '  again.  The  scoring  itself  is  so  easy  for 
me  that  the  writing  down  of  it  is  doubly  tedious.  The 
score  makes  some  thirty  closely  written  pages,  and  in  the 
hot,  damp  weather  we  have  had  it  is  not  pleasant  work, 
and  is  slow  besides.  But  if  I  do  not  finish  it  now  so  that 
I  can  play  it  in  Chicago,  the  time  already  spent  on  it  will 
be  thrown  away.  Amongst  our  other  guests  we  have  had 
Mrs.  Gillespie  with  us  for  a  few  days,  so  I  gave  up  my 
time  to  her  while  she  was  here.  But  I  find  it  very  hard 
to  live  as  other  people  do  in  summer — doing  nothing.  If 
I  cannot  do  a  certain  amount  of  work  every  day  I  feel 
very  mean,  which  is  the  lowest  depth  I  can  conceive.  But 
when  I  can  work  I  am  satisfied.  I  am  poor  in  lucre,  but 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          331 

I  am  glad  to  be  poor,  beyond  a  homestead  and  a  simple 
living,  and  I  hope  always  to  have  strength  enough  to  pro- 
vide that  as  long  as  my  shadow  is  moving  about." 

When  Thomas  spoke  of  being  "  poor,"  he  meant 
in  the  sense  of  accumulated  property.  Before 
he  went  into  the  American  Opera  scheme,  he  had 
saved  a  sum  which  was  large  enough  to  have 
provided  comfortably  for  his  family  and  himself 
in  his  declining  years.  Now  nothing  was  left  of 
it  but  his  country  place  and  his  library.  His 
income,  however,  although  much  reduced,  was  still 
ample,  for,  like  all  great  musicians,  his  earning 
power  was  always  very  large.  His  idea  of  "  simple 
living "  was  not  quite  in  accordance  with  the 
popular  meaning  of  the  term,  for  he  was,  both 
by  nature  and  training,  a  connoisseur,,  not  only  in 
art  matters,  but  in  everything  else  that  interested 
him,  and  he  was  not  satisfied  with  anything  but 
the  best.  His  "  simple  life,"  therefore,  included 
rare  wines,  fine  cigars,  clothing  of  the  best  ma- 
terial and  make,  horses  and  carriages,  delicate 
cooking,  large  and  handsomely  furnished  city  and 
country  houses,  books,  scores,  and  expert  service 
of  all  kinds.  His  children  were  given  every  edu- 
cational and  social  advantage,  and  no  reasonable 
wish  of  theirs  was  ever  denied  that  he  could 
gratify.  In  fact,  the  only  simplicity  to  be  found 
in  his  home  was  in  its  kindly  and  unconventional 
atmosphere,  and  the  absence  of  all  ostentation. 
He  himself,  however,  knew  very  little  about  the 
actual  cost  of  anything,  and  really  imagined  that 


332          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

he  only  lived  in  reasonable  comfort.  He  did  not 
wish  to  have  anything  to  do  with  money  matters, 
and  would  not  even  cash  his  checks,  as  they  came 
in,  but  merely  signed  them  and  turned  them  over 
to  his  wife  to  spend  or  invest  as  she  thought  best. 
All  he  wanted  was  to  have  two  new  fifty-dollar 
bills  in  his  pocket.  He  would  keep  them  unbroken 
as  long  as  possible,  partly  because  he  enjoyed  the 
feeling  of  having  the  two  nice  big  bills  in  reserve, 
and  partly  because  he  did  not  like  to  carry  the 
dirty  money  he  got  in  exchange.  When  he 
handled  the  latter,  he  would  either  put  on  gloves 
or  carefully  wash  his  hands  afterwards!  Indeed 
it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  man  of  more  fas- 
tidious tastes  and  habits  than  Thomas. 

July  and  August  were,  as  usual,  passed  in 
Chicago,  for  the  most  part,  and  after  the  season 
there  was  finished,  he  returned  again  to  Fairhaven 
for  the  interval  before  the  opening  of  the  winter 
season  in  New  York.  He  tried  to  be  cheerful, 
for  the  sake  of  those  about  him,  but  he  could  not 
shake  off  the  gloom  and  loneliness  which  enveloped 
his  spirit,  and  his  letters  during  the  fall  were 
weary  and  sad. 

"  My  box  of  scores,"  he  wrote  in  August,  "  has  come 
from  New  York,  to  enable  me  to  complete  my  various  pro- 
grammes for  the  fall,  winter,  and  spring  concerts.  This 
keeps  me  busy  enough,  but  I  dislike  the  work.  Artistically 
speaking,  I  have  no  satisfaction,  and  my  daily  life  is  at 
present  very  tedious.  Formerly  I  delighted  in  being  alone, 
now  I  dread  it.  Artistically  there  is  nothing  for  me  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          333 

do  any  more  in  this  world.  What  I  am  doing  now  others 
can  do  as  well.  What  I  am  good  for,  and  my  talents  and 
experience  have  ripened  me  for,  and  others  cannot  do,  I 
have  no  longer  any  opportunity  for.  And  so  I  am  tired 
of  everything.  I  am  tired  of  staying  in  the  country,  I  am 
dreadfully  tired  of  the  kind  of  work  before  me  this  winter. 
Circumstances  force  me  to  prostitute  my  art  and  my 
talents." 

From  New  York,  in  September,  he  wrote  in 
the  same  strain: 

"  I  am  not  exactly  sad,  but  I  realize  that  I  am  not 
normal;  I  seem  to  have  no  memory,  and  do  the  most  curi- 
ous things.  I  am  tired — you  will  get  tired  also  of  my 
everlasting  lamentations.  I  tried  to  work  this  evening, 
but  it  is  of  no  use.  I  cannot  work,  I  am  not  myself  any 
more,  I  do  not  know  myself.  The  only  explanation  I  can 
give  is  that  this  is  the  terrible  reaction  of  the  strain  of 
the  last  twenty  years  of  my  life.  But  I  ought  to  have 
some  common  sense  left,  and  do  my  business,  and  know 
that  by  and  by  everything  will  come  into  satisfactory 
shape  again.  But  what  is  common  sense?  I  have  none. 
Try  to  have  a  little  patience  with  me,  and  I  hope  to  get 
better  after  a  while — I  am  sorry  for  you,  that  you  have 
to  read  all  these  melancholy  letters,  but  my  only  pleasure 
seems  to  be  in  writing  to  you.  The  world  is  so  tedious 
to  me,  but  I  must  go  on  for  the  sake  of  my  children, 
for  a  few  years  yet.  What  you  imagine  to  be  gratifying 
in  the  fall  concert  tour  is  to  me  only  distasteful.  I  do 
not  care  to  be  '  lionized,'  as  the  saying  is,  when  all  my  work 
must  be  at  such  a  low  standard." 

The  fall  tour,  alluded  to  in  the  last  quotation, 
was  of  a  peculiar  character.  It  was  designed  to 


334 

be  a  sort  of  national  testimonial  from  the  people 
of  America,  in  appreciation  of  the  labors  of 
Thomas  for  the  musical  culture  of  the  country. 
The  suggestion  was  first  made  in  a  letter  from 
Minneapolis  to  the  New  York  Tribune,  signed 
"  Many  Music  Lovers."  It  was  the  outcome  of 
a  conference  of  several  officers  and  members  of 
the  Minneapolis  Philharmonic  Society.  After 
outlining  a  plan  for  a  tour  of  the  country,  this 
letter  continued: 

"  Such  a  tour  might  be  made  a  grand  triumphal  march 
for  the  great  conductor.  Understand  that  no  '  benefit ' 
scheme  is  contemplated  by  this  suggestion,  Mr.  Thomas 
would  be  the  first  to  turn  his  back  upon  such  a  proposi- 
tion. Let  him  simply  take  his  orchestra  and  give  in  the 
various  cities  a  *  quid  pro  quo,'  and  more,  as  he  always 
does,  for  all  that  he  receives;  but  let  the  tour  be  under- 
stood to  be  a  distinctive  opportunity  for  the  people  to 
testify  the  high  estimate  they  place  upon  Mr.  Thomas' 
life-work  in  behalf  of  the  music  of  this  country.  If  Mr. 
Thomas  doubts  that  there  is  a  deep  feeling  of  regard  for 
him  amongst  the  musicians  and  people  of  America,  and 
that,  whatever  may  be  said  of  the  sharp  points  of  his 
character,  they  are  ready  to  testify  to  it,  let  him  give  them 
an  opportunity  in  the  way  now  suggested.  Minneapolis 
will  be  glad  of  the  coveted  opportunity  to  testify  with 
other  cities  throughout  the  country  the  high  esteem  and 
sincere  admiration  that  is  felt  by  the  people  everywhere 
both  for  the  man  and  his  work." 

This  suggestion  found  immediate  favor  in  many 
of  the  cities  of  the  old  Thomas  "  Highway,"  and 
so  many  invitations  were  received  from  those 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          335 

wishing  to  be  included  in  the  testimonial  tour 
that  it  took  a  month  of  traveling  to  visit  all  the 
places.  In  each  city  the  invitation  was  signed 
by  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  place,  but  the 
most  remarkable  one  of  all  was  that  of  New 
York,  both  in  the  beauty  of  its  wording,  and  the 
personality  of  its  fifty  signers,  many  of  whom 
were  men  of  national  fame. 

NEW  YORK,  June,  1889. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ. 

Dear  Sir: 

Learning  that  you  have  been  invited  to  undertake  a 
series  of  concerts  in  various  parts  of  the  country  during 
the  next  autumn,  we  desire  to  express  to  you  our  sincere 
interest  in  the  enterprise  proposed,  to  assure  you  of  our 
heartiest  good  wishes  for  its  complete  success,  and  to  ask 
that  New  York,  which  is  your  home  and  the  scene  of 
your  most  arduous  labors,  may  be  included  among  the 
cities  which  are  to  share  the  opportunity  of  showing  their 
appreciation  of  your  work.  In  this  Centennial  year  of 
national  pride  and  joy,  not  the  least  pleasant  reason  of 
general  congratulation  is  the  growth  and  development  of 
a  taste  for  the  higher  forms  of  art,  because  this  taste  is 
one  of  the  powerful  forces  to  which  we  must  look  for  the 
necessary  chastening  of  the  material  and  commercial  spirit, 
which  has  thus  far  largely  dominated  American  progress. 
Among  these  forces  none  is  more  popular  or  more  effective 
than  music ;  and  in  the  education  and  elevation  of  musical 
taste  in  this  country,  no  individual  influence  is  more  uni- 
versally acknowledged,  and  none  is  more  distinctive,  con- 
stant, intelligent,  and  effective  than  yours. 

Your  public  service  of  this  kind  has  been  so  signal  that 
to  call  attention  to  it  on  the  eve  of  a  tour  such  as  is  con- 


336 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


templated  is  but  to  refresh  the  grateful  memory  of  lovers 
and  students  of  music  throughout  the  country,  and  to 
secure  their  cordial  co-operation  in  earnestly  promoting 
the  success  of  the  projected  series  of  popular  concerts, 
which  will  be  peculiarly  significant  among  our  centennial 
commemorations  as  illustrating  in  themselves  the  character 
and  degree  of  the  advance  of  the  public  taste,  knowledge, 
and  skill  in  music. 

With  sincere  regards,  we  are,  dear  sir, 
Respectfully  yours, 


LEVI  P.  MOETON 
GAEL  SCHURZ 
WM.  M.  EVAETS 
HOEACE  WHITE 
THEODOEE  ROOSEVELT 

WM.  C.  SCHEEMEEHOEN 

E.  FEANCIS  HYDE 
J.  Q.  A.  WAED 
H.  DEISLER 
HENEY  HOLT 
EDMUND  C.  STEDMAN 
R.  S.  MACAETHUR 
THEODORE  C.  WILLIAMS 

C.  L.  TIFFANY 
W.  D.  HOWELLS 
R.  W.  GILDER 
R.  M.  HUNT 

GEOEGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS 
CHAUNCEY  M.  DEPEW 
WARNER  MILLER 
JOSEPH  H.  CHOATE 
B.  H.  BRISTOW 
J.  PIERPONT  MORGAN 

D.  B.  VAN  EMBURGH 

D.   HUNTINGTON 
VlNCENZO  BOTTA 


JOHN  BIGELOW 
HJALMAR  H.  BOYESEN 
C.  VANDERBILT 
CYRUS  W.  FIELD 
HENRY  VILLARD 
R.  G.  INGERSOLL 
JOHN  F.  PLUMMER 
CALVIN  S.  BRICE 
GROVER  CLEVELAND 
C.  A.  DANA 
W.  R.  GRACE 
PARKE  GODWIN 
F.  R.  COUDERT 
HOWAED  CROSBY 
ROBERT  COLLYER 
AUGUSTUS  ST.  GAUDENS 
S.  G.  W.  BENJAMIN 
BRANDER  MATTHEWS 

MONCURE  D.   CONWAY 

CHAS.  S.  ROBINSON 
C.  P.  HUNTINGTON 
GEO.  F.  BAKER 
ANDREW  CAENEGIE 
WILLIAM  STEINWAY, 
and  many  others. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          337 

To  these  invitations  Thomas  sent  the  following 

reply: 

FAIRHAVEN,  MASS.,  June,  1889. 

To  MESSRS.  HENRY  K.  SHELDON  AND  JOHN  D.  EL- 
WELL,  BROOKLYN  ;  LEVI  P.  MORTON,  GEORGE 
WILLIAM  CURTIS,  GROVER  CLEVELAND,  AND 
OTHERS,  OF  NEW  YORK  ;  OLIVER  AMES,  HENRY 
L.  HlGGINSON,  JOSIAH  D.  WHITNEY,  AND 
OTHERS,  OF  BOSTON;  AND  TO  THE  MANY 
OTHER  FRIENDS  THROUGHOUT  THE  COUNTRY 
WHO  HAVE  SIMILARLY  HONORED  ME. 

Gentlemen: 

To  one  who  has  endeavored  to  do  his  duty,  the  knowl- 
edge that  his  work  is  appreciated  is  peculiarly  encourag- 
ing. Your  invitations,  therefore,  gratify  as  well  as  honor 
me,  and  I  cordially  and  gladly  accept  them,  and  will  as 
soon  as  possible  indicate  the  dates  of  the  concerts  to  be 
given  upon  the  tour  proposed,  beginning  early  in  October 
of  the  ensuing  autumn. 

I  will  not  refuse  to  believe  that  this  movement  repre- 
sents the  popular  feeling.  It  therefore  seems  appropri- 
ate that  the  people  should  have  a  voice  in  the  selection  of 
the  music  to  be  performed.  Hence  in  every  city  whose 
citizens  care  to  indicate  a  preference,  "  Request  Pro- 
grammes "  will  be  made  as  the  result  of  their  choice. 

Thanking  you  for  the  kind  consideration  which  has 
inspired  this  compliment,  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

But  even  this  unique  tribute,  the  like  of  which 
had  never  been  offered  to  any  other  American 
musician,  failed  to  arouse  him  from  his  despond- 
ency and,  instead  of  anticipating  the  tour  with 


338          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

pride  and  pleasure,  his  only  feeling  was  one  of 
humiliation  that  he  must  appear  before  all  these 
gala  audiences  with  an  orchestra  which  he  con- 
sidered inferior  in  quality  and  imperfectly  trained, 
and  could  only  give  the  people  who  would  gather 
in  his  honor,  performances  the  standard  of  which 
he  despised.  That  the  people  themselves  would 
not  notice  the  difference  was  no  consolation  to 
him,  for  he  took  that  only  as  evidence  that,  after 
a  lifetime  of  labor,  the  public  was  still  a  long 
way  from  the  musical  culture  he  had  striven  to 
inculcate.  Of  course  all  this  was  morbid  and 
hyper-sensitive  on  his  part  and  the  outcome  of 
his  melancholy  state  of  mind,  but  he  had  had 
so  much  adversity  that  he  was  discouraged, 
melancholy,  and  broken — a  dangerous  mood  for  a 
man  of  a  strong  and  passionate  nature. 

In  this  emergency  it  was  his  children  who  sus- 
tained and  brought  him  back  to  spiritual  con- 
valescence again.  They  were  now  youths  and 
maidens,  old  enough  to  be  his  companions,  and 
kept  him  surrounded  with  an  atmosphere  of  tender 
affection,  and  of  gay  young  life  without  which 
he  might  have  sunk  into  hopeless  despair.  For 
their  sakes  he  determined  to  put  the  past  resolutely 
behind  him  and  begin  life  anew,  though  he  knew 
not  as  yet  how  or  where  it  was  to  be  done.  "  I 
feel,"  he  wrote,  "  as  if  the  curtain  had  fallen  on 
one  act  of  my  life,  and  the  scenes  were  being  set 
for  another." 

Immediately  on  his  return  to  New  York  in  the 
fall  Thomas  began  the  preparations  for  the  Tes- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          339 

timonial  Tour,  which  was  to  begin  in  Brooklyn  on 
October  9,  and  end  in  New  York  on  November 
6.  In  spite  of  himself,  Thomas  found  the  return 
to  musical  life  inspiring,  and  worked  hard  to  get 
the  orchestra  at  his  command  into  presentable 
shape. 

"  I  had  a  rehearsal  of  three  hours  this  morning,"  he 
wrote,  "  and  you  know  I  lose  no  time.  I  must  laugh  at 
the  amount  of  work  I  can  do  without  getting  tired !  I  am 
not  old  yet,  but  I  will  confess  I  have  a  great  deal  of 
anxiety.  I  want  to  give  some  help  to  my  children  for 
a  few  years  yet,  and  I  am  not  afraid  but  that  I  can  carry 
it  through,  but  it  may  cost  a  great  deal  of  fighting  and 
hard  work.  I  am  willing  to  work,  as  you  know,  but  art 
and  business  do  not  blend,  and  everything  is  so  un- 
certain. 

"  My  rehearsal  this  morning  was  very  pleasant,  and  I 
have  all  the  old  power,  or  rather  I  have  more  strength  than 
ever.  I  am  growing  all  the  time,  and  feel  my  strength,  if 
I  could  only  use  it  to  better  purpose.  But  I  trust  in  God 
that  all  will  come  out  right — perhaps  not  exactly  in  the 
same  way  that  others  do,  but  every  honest  soul  in  his 
own  way. 

"  We  start  for  the  fall  tour  in  a  few  days,  and  are  in 
Albany  on  October  11.  Will  you  let  me  have  a  letter  on 
that  day?  It  is  my  fifty-fourth  birthday." 

The  first  concert  of  the  series  took  place  in 
Brooklyn,  and  like  all  his  Brooklyn  experiences 
it  was  pleasant  and  successful.  Then  the  traveling 
began,  and  the  following  letters  give  some  of  his 
experiences  on  the  trip  in  his  own  words: 


340          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  ALBANY,  Oct.  11. 

"  As  you  want  me  to  tell  you  about  the  concerts  and 
other  events  connected  with  the  tour,  I  must  begin  with 
the  Poughkeepsie  night.  The  concert  went  off  very  well, 
the  people  were  very  enthusiastic,  and  I  gave  them  all  the 
encores  they  wanted.  Men  rushed  around  to  the  stage  to 
shake  hands,  American  fashion,  and  rushed  off  again, 
etc.,  etc.  We  left  after  the  concert  and  arrived  here 
(Albany)  in  time  for  me  to  get  to  bed  at  a  quarter  after 
three.  I  slept  till  a  quarter  past  seven,  and  then  some 
children  overhead  made  too  much  noise  for  me  to  sleep 
any  longer.  It  was  my  birthday,  and  after  breakfast  I 
walked  to  the  hall  for  my  letters  and  telegrams,  of  which 
there  were  a  great  many.  The  first  telegram  I  opened 
was  from  General  Merrill,  it  read,  *  You  have  my  sym- 
pathy in  your  old  age,  but  never  mind,  one  must  either 
grow  old  or  die ! '  I  shall  answer  him  that  I  will  die,  if 
necessary,  but  /  will  not  grow  old.  The  next  was  from 
George  William  Curtis,  who  is  still  at  Ashfield.  After 
this  a  large  number  of  telegrams  came  pouring  in,  from 
very  pleasant  ones  to  very  boshy  ones. — Well,  well,  it  is, 
after  all,  pleasant  to  have  the  good  will  of  one's  friends, 
that  they  take  all  that  trouble.  Finally  came  your  letter 
and  the  volume  of  Emerson.  It  was  a  nice  thought  to 
send  me  that  and  I  think  it  is  just  what  I  want  to  read. 

"  After  this  I  made  a  call  on  a  lady.  She  is  a  very 
wealthy  woman  and  showed  me  all  over  her  house,  where 
she  has  an  accumulation  of  relics  and  treasures  only  pos- 
sible to  have  been  brought  together  by  several  genera- 
tions. One  thing  interested  me  particularly,  and  I  took 
it  in  my  hand — Luther's  wedding  ring.  It  was  quite  a 
nice  ring.  On  my  return  to  the  hotel,  I  found  the  children 
above  still  too  lively  for  me  to  get  any  peace  in  my  room, 
so  I  again  went  out  and  took  a  walk,  which  I  needed,  but 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          341 

I  need  sleep  still  more,  and  so  have  declined  all  invitations 
for  to-night  and  hope  to  get  to  bed  by  twelve  o'clock." 


"  CLEVELAND,  Oct.  18. 

"  Yesterday  was  a  very  hard  day,  and  although  I  was  up 
before  seven,  I  could  not  even  get  time  for  a  walk.  Of 
course  a  rehearsal  took  up  the  extra  time.  I  do  not  wish 
to  complain,  but  this  traveling  business  I  cannot  stand  any 
more.  I  cannot  live  like  other  travelers,  and  to  try  to 
get  anything  different  or  according  to  my  individual 
needs  while  traveling  is  almost  impossible,  and  only  to  be 
accomplished  by  a  constant  fight.  I  do  need  a  decent  glass 
of  wine,  and  I  do  need  a  cup  of  strong  coffee  when  I  work 
as  I  must — both  are  impossible  to  get.  The  traveling  pub- 
lic drinks  beer  or  whisky,  and  I  am  forbidden  to  drink 
either.  As  for  the  wines,  they  are  so  poor  and  so  sweet 
that  they  upset  me.  Last  night  after  the  concert  I  was 
so  tired  that  I  refused  to  speak.  I  told  Sachleben  to  come 
with  me,  for  he  does  not  talk  when  I  do  not,  and  when 
I  know  that  I  cannot  be  pleasant  I  am  as  silent  as  a  clam. 
I  was  so  hungry  that  we  went  to  a  restaurant,  but  it  was 
an  hour  before  we  could  get  anything  to  eat,  and  when 
at  last  I  got  back  to  the  hotel  I  was  too  tired  to  pack, 
and  therefore  had  to  get  up  early  this  morning  in  order 
to  have  my  trunk  ready  for  the  baggage-man  at  eight. 
And  so  it  goes,  and  will  go,  I  foresee.  This  kind  of  life 
is  impossible,  and  I  had  found  it  so  before,  as  you  know. 
I  shall  continue  this  year  in  order  not  to  run  behind,  but 
next  year  if  I  cannot  make  twenty  thousand  dollars,  I 
will  have  to  learn  to  live  on  ten,  or  even  less  if  necessary. 
Other  people  do,,  and  so  can  I,  and  if  I  want  to  help  my 
boys  for  a  few  years  yet,  until  they  are  established  in  life, 
I  must  economize.  They  deserve  all  I  can  do  for  them, 


342          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

for  it  is  such  a  blessing  to  have  good  sons,  when  one 
thinks  of  what  trouble  they  might  cause  one. 

"  Emerson  says,  '  Nothing  can  bring  you  peace  but  the 
triumph  of  principles.'  This  I  have  known  myself  for 
years,  and  very  clearly  from  experience.  But  while  I  have 
become  clearer  in  my  mind  these  last  years,  I  have  been 
so  unmercifully  tossed  about  on  the  waves  of  the  ordinary 
world  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  anchor  anywhere.  And 
still  I  have  blessings  which  so  few  men  have — I  must  surely 
find  a  haven  somewhere  to  cast  my  anchor.  I  found  Emer- 
son very  interesting  reading  in  the  cars  yesterday,  never- 
theless Kant,  Goethe,  or  Schopenhauer — not  to  mention 
Shakespeare — will  any  one  of  them  say  in  one  page  as 
much  as  Emerson  says  in  forty." 


"  JACKSON,  Oct.  23,  1889. 

"  This  was  a  very  noisy  morning  for  me.  While  the  soul 
can  live  without  the  body,  the  body  can,  nevertheless,  make 
the  soul  sick.  Yesterday  afternoon  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  must  find  a  decent  restaurant  where  I  could  get 
something  I  could  eat.  Mahnken  went  with  me,  and  at 
last  we  found  one.  It  was  in  a  basement,  an  all-night 
place,  and  for  some  minutes  we  could  not  make  any  head- 
way. All  at  once  the  atmosphere  changed,  and  what  they 
had  not  in  the  house  they  would  get  for  me  if  it  was  in 
the  town !  To  make  the  matter  short,  the  place  was  kept 
by  an  old  showman  who  recognized  me,  and  the  kindness, 
civility,  and  good  taste  which  I  experienced  there  I  can- 
not exaggerate,  nor  have  I  ever  eaten  better  food  in  my 
life.  Everything  had  to  be  brought  from  outside,  but 
no  matter,  market  and  butcher  were  across  the  street  and 
God  was  in  that  place.  I  have  taken  all  my  meals  there, 
and  last  night  I  slept  as  of  old,  from  two  o'clock  until 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          343 

seven  this  morning,  soundly  and  undisturbed,  and  I  have 
felt  like  a  different  being  to-day  in  consequence.  Of 
course  we  were  roasted  on  the  cars  to-day,  but  I  have 
taken  plenty  of  luncheon  with  me,  for  we  will  not  be  able 
to  get  a  single  meal  again  until  we  reach  Chicago,  day 
after  to-morrow,  and  I  have  a  heavy  cold,  which  I  con- 
tracted a  few  days  ago." 


"  NEW  YORK,  Nov.  6,  1889. 

"  At  home  once  more — How  quiet  and  restful  it  is !  You 
know  enough  about  me  by  this  time  to  know  that  my  home 
is  very  sacred  to  me.  In  fact,  it  is  my  world,  and  I  do 
all  I  can  to  make  it  a  heaven  for  my  family.  It  is  very 
seldom  that  I  am  cross,  because  I  seldom  get  so  tired  that 
I  cannot  control  myself.  Even  when  I  do  I  always  have 
my  brains,  and  my  bad  temper  does  not  last  but  a  few 
minutes,  and  if  no  one  fights  me  then  I  show  my  gratitude. 

"  The  last  *  testimonial '  performance  will  be  here  on 
Saturday,  and  I  have  just  come  from  rehearsal.  I  am 
sorry  I  am  not  in  better  condition,  but  I  am  all  broken 
up  by  the  trip,  and  have  a  stiff  neck  and  shoulders.  I 
hope  to  be  better  by  Saturday.  For  once  every  musician 
has  thrown  off  all  personal  feeling,  and  I  will  have  an 
orchestra  the  best  the  country  can  afford.  The  whole 
profession  have  offered  their  services,  and  I  could  have 
an  orchestra  of  a  thousand!  It  will  be  as  large  as  the 
stage  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  can  accommo- 
date. Joseffy  has  also  volunteered  his  services  as  soloist. 
I  have  just  written  a  letter  of  thanks  to  the  musicians." 

When  the  concert  came  off  it  was  very  success- 
ful, as  such  things  go.  There  were  the  customary 
crowd,  ovation,  recalls,  encores,  flowers,  laurel 
wreaths,  and  complimentary  press  notices,  in- 


344          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

separable  from  such  occasions.  Thomas  had  been 
the  hero  of  similar  scenes  so  many  times  that  it 
did  not  make  very  much  impression  upon  him. 
What  he  did  value  about  the  affair,  however,  was 
the  public  good-will,  of  which  it  was  the  sponta- 
neous expression,  and,  in  particular,  the  cordial 
and  affectionate  attitude  of  the  professional  mu- 
sicians. In  the  course  of  his  long  career  in  New 
York  its  musicians  gave  him  many  similar  marks 
of  their  sincere  friendship  and  admiration  for  him, 
and  he  valued  them  amongst  the  most  precious 
tributes  of  his  life,  and  was  never  so  pleased  as 
when  something  of  this  kind  came  from  his  orches- 
tral associates. 

After  the  fall  tour  was  over  Thomas  settled 
down  to  the  musical  drudgery  of  the  winter.  The 
only  artistic  food  he  had  during  this  tedious  sea- 
son was  the  concerts  of  the  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Societies.  And  even 
here,  he  imagined  that  his  work  suffered  some 
deterioration  as  compared  with  previous  years, 
because  the  men  were  not  under  his  leadership  all 
the  time,  as  they  had  formerly  been,  but  only  re- 
hearsed with  him  for  such  concerts  as  he  engaged 
them  for,  taking  engagements  elsewhere  in  the 
intervals  between.  The  following  letter  describes 
the  difficulties  of  getting  artistic  results  under 
these  conditions: 

"  NEW  YORK,  Dec.  1, 1889. 

"  This  morning  I  had  a  curious  rehearsal.  It  was  the 
first  Philharmonic,  and  I  had  a  good  deal  of  fighting  to 
do.  I  could  not  get  the  men  to  play  as  I  wanted,  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          345 

finally  threw  the  score  down  on  the  floor  and  took  up 
another  with  the  same  difficulties.  But  at  last,  by  talking 
and  insisting  and  making  stands  play  alone,  I  began  to 
get  the  effects  I  wanted,  and,  behold!  it  went  to  the  ears 
and  hearts  of  the  men,  and  then,  of  course,  all  was  easy. 
They  were  more  delighted  than  I  when  they  heard  the 
result  and  understood  what  I  was  after.  But  it  was  a 
terrible  fight — over  a  hundred  men  of  ability,  trying  for 
something,  and  one  man  beating  the  stand,  shouting  at 
the  top  of  his  lungs,  scolding,  entreating,  etc.,  and  finally 
taking  out  his  watch  to  show  them  that  all  this  had  taken 
an  hour.  The  trouble  is  that  the  men  can  now  play  else- 
where as  they  like,  and  when  they  come  back  to  me  after 
a  short  interval  it  always  takes  half  of  the  first  rehearsal 
before  they  realize  the  proportions  and  proper  conditions 
again.  I  am  not  dead  yet,  it  seems.  But  I  still  have  that 
cold  hanging  about  me,  and  have  not  been  well  since  my 
return  from  the  tour." 

Ever  since  Thomas  had  been  the  conductor  of 
the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society  he  had  made 
its  programmes  the  very  highest  expression  of  his 
art.  The  Philharmonic  audience  was  almost 
unique  in  America  at  that  time,  and  there  was 
only  one  other  in  the  entire  country  like  it — 
that  of  the  Boston  Symphony  Concerts.  The 
whole  seating  capacity  of  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House,  in  which  its  concerts  were 
given,  was  "  sold  out  "  to  season  ticket  holders, 
who  came  regularly,  year  after  year,  and  had  be- 
come so  cultivated,  in  consequence,  that  they  were 
connoisseurs.  Hence  Thomas  had  none  of  the 
so-called  "  popular "  element  to  cater  for  in 


346          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

selecting  its  programmes,  and  his  only  thought 
was  to  make  them  the  unquestioned  standard  of 
the  musical  art  of  America.  Each  programme 
was  composed  of  the  greatest  symphonic  works, 
and  the  most  important  novelties,  and  only 
first-rank  artists  appeared  in  the  solo  numbers. 
As  for  the  orchestra,  it  was  the  largest  and  best 
in  America,  and  always  included  in  its  ranks  the 
entire  Thomas  Orchestra,  as  well  as  its  own 
players.  The  rehearsals  were  of  the  most  exacting 
nature,  and,  in  short,  every  concert  of  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society  represented  the  very  best  that 
Thomas  could  produce  season  by  season.  The 
history  of  his  art  may  be  read  in  these  pro- 
grammes, during  the  long  series  of  years  when 
he  was  their  conductor.  Of  course  this  artistic 
standard  was  not  raised  and  maintained  for  so 
long  without  more  or  less  of  what  he  called  "  fight- 
ing." Now  and  then  some  member  of  the  Phil- 
harmonic orchestra  of  long  standing  would  be- 
come superannuated,  and  decline  to  resign  in 
favor  of  a  younger  and  better  man,  and  much  un- 
pleasantness would  ensue  before  the  matter  could 
be  finally  adjusted.  Other  points  were  also  occa- 
sionally raised,  for  the  society  was  a  stock  com- 
pany and  had  a  right  to  say  how  its  affairs  should 
be  carried  on.  But,  on  the  whole,  they  did  not 
interfere  with  Thomas  very  often,  and  when 
they  did  he  simply  stood  firm  until  they  came 
around  to  his  point  of  view,  which  they  were 
pretty  sure  to  do  after  a  while,  for  he  always 
had  a  good  practical  reason  for  everything  he 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          347 

did,  and  they  had  the  most  absolute  confidence 
in  his  justice  and  disinterestedness.  Thomas  had 
no  more  loyal  and  devoted  friends  in  the  world 
than  his  colleagues  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic 
Society,  and  none,  I  think,  of  whose  friendship 
he  was  so  proud. 

But  a  man  who  had  been  accustomed  to  the 
enormous  mass  of  important  work  that  Thomas 
had  been  doing  for  the  last  twenty  years,  could 
not  be  satisfied  with  a  single  series  of  symphony 
concerts — no  matter  how  fine — when  all  the  rest 
of  his  work  was  what  he  considered  inferior. 
Again  the  darker  mood  clouded  his  spirit,  and  he 
wrote : 

"  NEW  YORK,  Dec.  29,  1889. 

"  I  would  like  to  write  you  a  nice  letter,  but  I  have  noth- 
ing to  say.  Musical  affairs  are  so  unsatisfactory  now 
that,  while  I  know  that  decent  work  is  impossible  under 
the  present  circumstances,  it  is  hard  to  fight  it  through, 
especially  as  I  always  did  good  work.  I  take  it  philo- 
sophically, but  I  shall  be  glad  when  this  season  is  over, 
and  meantime  I  must  look  for  some  other  occupation  than 
orchestra  and  concert  work.  Well,  I  do  not  care  any 
more,  but  let  things  go  as  they  must.  But  if  the  people 
see  or  can  read  in  my  back  that  I  now  play  for  money, 
let  them — I  cannot  help  it,  and  they  deserve  nothing  bet- 
ter. All  I  want  now  is  to  make  enough  for  us  all  to 
live  on  decently,  for  I  have  the  feeling  that  nothing  will 
be  done  in  this  country  at  present  where  my  services  will 
be  needed.  This  we  have  to  thank  Wagner  for;  how  long 
it  will  last  no  one  can  tell.  Meantime  I  will  learn  to  do 
something  else  for  a  living — but  it  is  rather  late,  and 
tough  for  me. 


348          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  As  you  see,  I  have  the  blues  and  all  the  world  looks 
gray  to  me.  Nothing  has  happened,  but  the  general  con- 
dition of  affairs  gives  me  no  inspiration,  and  I  feel  re- 
signed enough  to-night  to  give  up  all  claim  to  anything 
and  everything  in  this  world." 

Of  the  many  concerts  Thomas  conducted  dur- 
ing this  tedious  season,  only  two  were  especially 
noteworthy.  One  was  given  in  aid  of  the  Bee- 
thoven Society  at  Bonn,  and  the  other  was  a  per- 
formance of  the  Ninth  Symphony,  early  in  the 
spring.  Thomas  always  approached  a  perform- 
ance of  this  master-work  with  such  seriousness 
and  reverence  that  it  resembled  the  celebration  of 
some  high  religious  festival  by  a  prelate  of  the 
church,  rather  than  the  mere  giving  of  an  orches- 
tral concert.  He  not  only  prepared  the  music  by 
thorough  study,  and  the  orchestra,  chorus,  and 
soloists  by  training  and  rehearsal,  but  he  care- 
fully prepared  himself  in  both  mind  and  body, 
by  rest,  exercise,  and  sparing  diet.  On  the  day  of 
the  performance  he  would  receive  no  calls,  and  as 
the  concert  hour  drew  near,  he  did  not  even  come 
to  the  family  table,  because  he  wished  no  outside 
thoughts  to  distract  his  mind  from  the  music. 

Thomas  did  not  often  speak  of  his  work  in  con- 
cert by  any  higher  term  than  merely  "  good," 
but  after  this  concert  he  wrote  as  follows: 

"  NEW  YORK,  April  13,  1890. 

"  Last  night's  performance  was  great  in  every  sense  of 
the  word,  and  the  ripest  and  greatest  I  ever  gave  at  any 
time  and  of  anything.  The  audience  knew  what  was 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          349 

going  on  and  stood  on  their  chairs,  and  waved  hats  and 
handkerchiefs  when  they  got  me  out  on  the  stage  again, 
and  the  members  of  the  orchestra  congratulated  not  only 
me  but  each  other!  After  the  concert  I  had  a  little  sup- 
per at  my  house,  which  was  also  pleasant.  The  guests 
were  friends  from  out  of  town  who  happened  to  be  in 
New  York — Miss  Long  of  Boston,  Mrs.  Nicholas  Long- 
worth  and  Mrs.  Bellamy  Storer  of  Cincinnati,  and  Mrs. 
Gillespie  of  Philadelphia.  There  were  also  the  Gersters 
and  a  few  New  York  friends,  altogether  a  jolly  party. 

"  Replying  to  your  question  about  the  Ninth  Symphony, 
I  think,  taken  for  all  in  all,  the  first  movement  of  this 
symphony  may  be  considered  the  greatest,  and  nothing 
about  it  is  more  remarkable  than  its  opening  sixteen  meas- 
ures. Beethoven  apparently  wished  to  produce  here  the 
effect  of  a  mysterious  foreshadowing  of  something  great 
and  portentous  to  come.  So  well  has  he  succeeded  that 
the  mode,  the  key,  and  the  theme  are  all  wrapped  in  such 
vagueness  that  only  careful  analysis  can  discern  the  last 
two,  while  the  first  is  not  to  be  determined  by  any  process. 
In  other  words,  he  gives  a  chord  without  the  middle  note, 
so  it  is  neither  major  nor  minor.  This  chord  he  places  on 
the  fifth  step  of  the  key  of  D,  and  thus  it  can  be  mistaken 
for  the  key  of  A ;  while  the  theme  here  announced  is  only 
begun,  and  is  not  given  in  completion  until  the  seventeenth 
measure.  I  therefore  consider  the  first  sixteen  measures 
as  a  prologue.  At  the  seventeenth  measure  the  mystery 
and  presentiment  of  the  prologue  end,  and  the  minor 
mode,  the  key  of  D,  and  the  first  subject  are  all  blazoned 
forth  with  all  the  power  of  the  whole  orchestra  in  unison. 
This  mighty  theme  is  somber,  grandiose,  and  fraught  with 
a  restless  energy  which  knows  no  peace  nor  satisfaction." 

This  concert  closed  the  season  of  1889-90,  a 
period  which  might  be  called  a  spiritual  con- 


850          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

valescence  for  Thomas  after  the  heartbreaking 
calamities  of  the  three  previous  years.  Very 
slowly  and  with  many  a  relapse  into  the  old  dis- 
couragement and  gloom,  a  healthier,  braver  tone 
began  to  pervade  his  mind.  Not  that  he  had  any 
hope  of  reconstructing  his  artistic  future  in  New 
York,  he  realized  that  that  was  hopeless,  at 
least  for  the  present,  but  he  had  been  brought 
down  at  last  to  the  renunciation  point,  and  the 
bitterness  of  death  was  past.  "  This  life,"  he 
wrote,  "  is,  after  all,  mostly  '  Entbehren  sollst  du, 
du  sollst  enibehren'  *  and  the  world  is  only  a  com- 
bination against  any  kind  of  elevation.  It  com- 
bines to  pull  everyone  down  to  its  level,  and  one 
must  fight  daily,  and  every  moment,  for  a  respect- 
able standard  in  anything.  I  cannot  fight  any 
more,  so  I  have  renounced,  for  I  would  rather 
take  my  fiddle  and  play  on  the  streets  for  a  living 
than  sell  my  honor  as  a  man  or  an  artist." 

In  this  determination  to  renounce  his  art  and 
his  "  cause,"  Thomas  was  quite  serious,  and  he 
fully  intended  to  leave  the  concert  stage  and 
seek  a  livelihood  in  some  private  walk  of  life,  such, 
perhaps,  as  a  musical  professorship  in  some  college 
or  school  of  music. 

All  his  thoughts  and  interests  now  centered 
around  his  family  and,  as  the  time  passed,  he  be- 
came, also,  more  and  more  dependent  on  me. 
One  beautiful  evening,  May  7,  1890,  we  were 
married,  and  a  few  days  later  went  to  Cincinnati 
for  the  Festival. 

*  "  Renounce,  thou  shalt— thou  shall  renounce. " 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          351 

The  year  which  followed  our  marriage  was  the 
most  artistically  barren  year  in  the  life  of  Theo- 
dore Thomas.  It  contained  not  one  single  musical 
event  of  sufficient  interest  to  record,  and  was  all 
on  one  dead  level  of  mediocrity  which  at  times 
was  almost  unbearable  to  him.  But  his  home 
life  was  very  happy,  and  his  income  ample,  so 
he  accepted  the  situation  with  what  philosophy 
he  could.  Meantime  the  dawn  began  to  break 
again,  at  last,  and  by  the  time  spring  came,  the 
sun  of  promise  was  shining  gloriously  above  the 
horizon  of  a  new  life  for  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

1891-1892 

THOMAS  ACCEPTS  THE  MUSICAL  DIRECTORSHIP  OF  THE  CHI- 
CAGO ORCHESTRA FAREWELL  BANQUETS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  FIRST  SEASON  OF  THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRAL  AS- 
SOCIATION  THOMAS   IS  APPOINTED   MUSICAL   DIRECTOR 

OF  THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION  OF  1893 

THE  reconstruction  of  Thomas'  artistic  career 
was  brought  about  by  my  brother,  C.  Norman 
Fay.  It  was,  perhaps,  facilitated  by  our  marriage, 
which  naturally  brought  the  two  men  intimately 
together,  but  Mr.  Fay  had  been  a  devoted  ad- 
mirer of  Thomas  for  many  years,  and  long  before 
we  knew  him  personally  had  planned  to  organize 
an  orchestra  in  Chicago  under  his  direction,  and 
was  only  waiting  for  the  opportunity  to  put  his 
plan  into  execution.  The  following  letter,  written 
in  1879,  was  his  introduction  to  Thomas,  and  gives 
some  of  the  details  of  his  original  scheme: 

rp  ™  CHICAGO,  Sept.  23,  1879. 

THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ. 

Dear  Sir: 

You  have  doubtless  heard  from  Mr.  George  B.  Car- 
penter (from  whom  I  inclose  a  letter  of  introduction) 
that  some  of  the  gentlemen  here  have  taken  an  interest 
in  an  attempt  to  organize  a  "  Philharmonic  Society  "  in 
Chicago,  with  the  idea  of  working  under  your  leadership. 
We  are  aware  that  some  of  the  local  musicians  have  al- 

352 


Matzene  Studio,  Chicago  (1910) 


Rose  Fay  Thomas 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          353 

ready  corresponded  with  you,  and  had  started  to  form 
a  society  last  July,  but  that  society  seems  to  us  to  have 
little  strength  or  cohesion,  and  will  probably  come  to 
nothing.  We  have  therefore  canvassed  the  matter  with 
some  of  the  wealthy  and  public-spirited  men  here,  and 
are  now  in  a  position  to  organize  a  society  and  make  any 
series  of  concerts  undertaken  by  it  under  your  leadership 
the  event  of  the  season,  and  entirely  successful:  either 
taking  the  organization  already  existing,  or  forming  an 
entirely  new  one,  with  an  active  membership  of  the  best 
people  here  as  well  as  the  professionals. 

Mr.  Carpenter,  who  knows  more  of  such  things  than  I 
do,  thinks  a  difficulty  might  arise  from  the  jealousy  of 
local  leaders,  about  filling  an  orchestra  without  importing 
fifteen  or  twenty  men.  This  brings  me  to  the  point  I 
wish  to  ask.  What  could  be  done  with  such  an  orchestra? 
Is  it  worth  my  while  to  work  up  such  an  organization 
unless  it  is  going  to  attain  its  object?  Could  you  favor 
me  with  a  frank  answer  to  this? 

I  do  not  want  to  make  a  great  stir  about  this  business 
if  it  is  only  to  end  in  nothing  as  the  first  attempt  did,  and 
would  rather  not  undertake  it  at  all.  Yet,  as  far  as  money 
goes,  I  can  form  a  strong  and  satisfactory  society,  with 
little  delay,  and  it  seems  a  pity  not  to  do  so. 

Yours  truly,  C.  NORMAN  FAY. 

This  project  did  not  come  to  anything  because 
Thomas  was  not  able  at  that  time  to  accept  an 
engagement  which  involved  his  training  an  or- 
chestra in  a  distant  city;  and  Mr.  Fay,  on  his 
side,  did  not  care  to  have  any  other  conductor  at 
the  head  of  the  orchestra  he  wished  to  found. 
So  the  matter  was  dropped  for  the  time  being. 
The  disbanding  of  his  orchestra  in  1888,  however, 


354          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

left  Thomas  free  to  leave  New  York,  and  Mr. 
Fay  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  secure 
his  co-operation  in  putting  into  effect  his  long 
cherished  plan  for  a  great  symphony  orchestra 
for  Chicago.  Now,  however,  the  project  was 
revived  on  a  much  more  extensive  scale,  and  in- 
stead of  a  Philharmonic  Society  of  local  talent, 
with  its  traditional  twelve  concerts,  it  was  pro- 
posed to  form  a  permanent  symphony  orchestra  of 
the  largest  and  most  perfect  kind,  and  give  two 
performances  a  week  during  twenty  weeks  of  the 
year — to  follow,  in  short,  the  model  which  had 
already  been  set  in  Boston. 

After  his  previous  experiences  with  musical 
institutions  of  one  kind  and  another,  it  may  be 
imagined  that  Thomas  did  not  accept  the  Chicago 
proposal  without  many  doubts  as  to  its  ultimate 
success.  It  meant,  also,  some  very  real  sacrifices 
on  his  part,  for  he  could  not  leave  New  York 
without  breaking  up  his  family,  and  leaving  two 
of  his  sons  behind.  Nor  could  he  earn  as  much 
in  Chicago,  by  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year,  as 
he  was  making  in  New  York.  But  to  his  art- 
hungry  soul  all  personal  considerations  were  out- 
weighed by  the  one  great  advantage  offered — the 
assurance  that  he  could  once  more  have  his  own 
orchestra,  and  an  opportunity  to  do  the  highest 
class  of  musical  work.  He  had  a  very  genuine 
affection  for  Chicago,  where  his  experiences  had 
hitherto  always  been  pleasant,  and  he  hoped — 
and  in  this  he  was  not  disappointed — that  a  nearer 
acquaintance  with  the  men  whom  Mr.  Fay  was 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          355 

planning  to  associate  together  in  the  orchestral 
scheme  would  be  productive  of  good  results.  He, 
therefore,  consented  to  be  the  conductor  of  the 
new  orchestra.  Mr.  Fay  lost  no  time  in  com- 
pleting the  organization,  and  soon  sent  Thomas 
the  following  letter: 

„,,  CHICAGO,  Oct.  1,  1890. 

Dear  Thomas: 

I  have  received  your  telegram,  and  the  guarantee  fund 
for  the  orchestra  is  practically  secured.  I  have  changed 
my  original  plan  a  little,  and  instead  of  asking  for  five 
thousand  dollars  apiece,  per  annum,  from  ten  men,  I  am 
asking  one  thousand  apiece  from  fifty.  I  have  now  thirty- 
eight  thousand  dollars  pledged  on  that  basis  for  three 
years,  and  as  N.  K.  Fairbank,  Marshall  Field,  and  I  are 
willing  to  subscribe  five  thousand  dollars  each,  per  annum, 
the  fund  may  be  considered  to  be  complete,  although  I 
shall  go  on  filling  up  the  list  as  far  as  possible  on  the 
thousand-dollar  basis,  in  order  to  enlist  the  active  sup- 
port of  fifty  of  our  leading  men,  instead  of  thirty-eight. 

I  have  had  refusals  from  only  two  men.  Every  one  else 
said  "  Yes  "  at  once.  The  details  are  in  shape  entirely 
satisfactory  to  me,  and  will  be  to  you. 

Yours  truly, 

C.  NORMAN  FAY. 

A  little  later  followed  a  copy  of  the  prospectus 
and  form  of  guarantee,  with  its  fifty  subscribers, 
and  the  contract  to  be  signed  with  the  now 
incorporated  association.  This  was  a  clear,  con- 
cise document,  very  plain  and  business-like,  but 
so  liberal  in  tone,  and  showing  such  confidence  in 
Thomas  as  man  and  artist,  that  his  last  doubts 
vanished  as  he  read  it. 


356          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Under  the  head  of  '  The  rights,  powers,  and 
duties  of  the  Musical  Director,"  was  a  clause  which 
read  as  follows: 

"  II.  The  Musical  Director  is  to  determine  the  character 
and  standard  of  all  performances  given  by  the  Associa- 
tion, and  to  that  end  make  all  programmes,  select  all  solo- 
ists, and  take  the  initiative  in  arranging  for  choral  and 
festival  performances.  The  intention  of  the  Association 
being  to  lodge  in  the  hands  of  the  Director  the  power  and 
responsibility  for  the  attainment  of  the  highest  standard 
of  artistic  excellence  in  all  performances  given  by  the 
Association." 

This  clause  delighted  Thomas,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, "  I  never  expected  to  see  the  day  when 
I  would  be  told  I  would  be  '  held  responsible ' 
for  maintaining  the  highest  standard  of  artistic 
excellence  in  my  musical  work.  All  my  life  I 
have  been  told  that  my  standard  was  too  high, 
and  urged  to  make  it  more  popular.  But  now,  I 
am  not  only  to  be  given  every  facility  to  create 
the  highest  standard,  but  am  even  told  that  I  will 
be  held  responsible  for  keeping  it  so!  I  have  to 
shake  myself  to  realize  it." 

The  Chicago  contract  was  signed  in  December, 
1890,  and  the  prospect  of  a  return  to  his  old  ar- 
tistic standards  of  work  banished  all  the  gloom 
and  depression  of  the  past,  and  once  more  Thomas 
was  himself  again — bright,  hopeful,  boundlessly 
energetic  as  of  yore,  and  intensely  interested  in 
making  the  new  Western  orchestra  the  best  he  had 
ever  conducted,  and  returning  measure  for  meas- 


Photograph  by  Matzeiie,  Chicago  (1910) 

Charles  Norman  Fay, 
Founder  of  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Association 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          357 

ure  to  the  men  who  had  shown  such  entire  con- 
fidence in  him.  The  next  few  months  were 
devoted  to  perfecting  the  plans  for  the  Chicago 
organization,  and  to  trying  and  selecting  the  mu- 
sicians for  it,  for  he  was  to  bring  with  him  sixty 
men  from  New  York,  for  the  "  regular  orches- 
tra," as  it  was  called,  and  to  take  the  remaining 
thirty  "  extra  "  men  from  the  ranks  of  the  resi- 
dent musicians  of  Chicago.  The  best  artists  of 
the  old  Thomas  Orchestra  were  recalled,  and 
those  who  were  not  so  good  were  replaced  by 
others,  imported  from  Europe.  So  many  of  the 
former  were  -retained,  however,  that  it  might 
fairly  be  said  that  the  Chicago  Orchestra  was,  in 
reality,  the  original  Thomas  Orchestra,  simply 
reconstructed,  improved,  and  transported  to  Chi- 
cago, and  even  to-day  (1910)  there  are  still  to 
be  found  in  its  ranks  a  number  of  those  incom- 
parable artists  whose  faces  were  as  familiar  as 
household  words  to  all  the  cities  of  the  old 
"  Highway "  in  the  days  when  its  headquarters 
were  in  New  York. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  Thomas  had  de- 
cided to  go  to  Chicago,  the  people  of  New  York 
woke  up.  He  had  a  large  and  really  devoted 
following  of  cultivated  people  there  who  appre- 
ciated and  understood  the  value  of  his  work,  and 
who  would  probably  have  made  his  orchestra  per- 
manent long  ago  if  there  had  been  some  prominent 
person  to  take  the  initiative  in  such  a  movement. 
But  the  New  York  people  have  little  public  spirit, 
and  are  too  busy  and  self-absorbed  to  give  the  time 


358          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

and  work  necessary  for  the  founding  and  main- 
tenance of  great  public  institutions — even  those 
they  really  care  for.  When,  however,  they  realized 
that  Thomas  was  actually  going  to  leave  in  good 
earnest,  three  different  groups  of  people  came  to 
him  with  propositions  to  raise  any  guarantee  he 
would  name,  if  he  would  only  stay.  But  it  was 
too  late,  the  contract  was  already  signed,  and 
all  that  remained  to  them  was  to  wish  him  "  God 
speed  "  in  his  new  life. 

The  last  concerts  of  the  season  took,  of  course, 
the  form  of  ovations  to  the  departing  leader,  and 
especially  impressive  was  that  of  the  New  York 
Philharmonic  Society,  when  the  vast  audience 
which  filled  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  from 
floor  to  ceiling,  arose,  tier  on  tier,  applauding, 
cheering,  shouting,  waving  hats  and  handker- 
chiefs, and  even  weeping  as  the  expression  of  their 
last  affectionate  farewell.  The  laurel  wreath  which 
the  musicians  of  the  Philharmonic  orchestra  gave 
him  on  this  occasion  was  taken  to  Chicago,  and 
hung  on  the  wall  of  his  library  until  its  leaves 
dried  and  crumbled  into  dust,  and  the  golden- 
lettered  white  ribbon  with  which  it  was  tied, 
though  now  yellow  and  time-worn,  is  preserved 
there  still,  bound  across  the  arms  of  his  vacant 
chair. 

Thomas  had  planned  to  start  for  his  new  West- 
ern home  at  the  end  of  April,  and  the  night  before, 
a  large  public  dinner  was  tendered  to  him  in  fare- 
well. His  ever-loyal  friend,  George  William 
Curtis,  presided  at  this  dinner,  and  the  following 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          359 

speech,  in  which  he  proposed  the  health  of  the 
guest  of  the  evening,  was  remarkable,  even  for 
such  a  master  of  language  as  he : 

"  I  rise  to  propose  the  health  of  a  public  benefactor — an 
artist  whose  devotion  to  a  beautiful,  refining,  and  en- 
nobling art  has  greatly  distinguished  his  name  and  given 
great  distinction  to  the  city  in  which  he  lives — the  health 
of  the  central  figure  of  the  musical  life  of  New  York  for 
a  generation,  and  your  hearts  go  before  my  lips  in  saluting 
Theodore  Thomas.  He  has  made  the  conductor's  baton 
an  imperial  scepter,  with  which  he  rules  not  only  an 
orchestra  but  an  ever-widening  realm  of  musical  taste  and 
cultivation.  In  his  hand  it  has  been  an  enchanter's  wand, 
which  has  transformed  our  musical  ignorance  and  crudity 
into  ample  knowledge  and  generous  appreciation.  While 
it  has  introduced  to  us  the  known  and  acknowledged  mas- 
ters of  the  past,  it  has  summoned  and  revealed  those  still 
shadowy  figures  of  music  of  the  future.  Musical  artists 
have  come  and  gone.  Virtuosos  of  every  kind  have  ap- 
peared, have  charmed  us,  and  have  vanished.  Our  private 
accomplishment  has  advanced  from  the  '  Battle  of 
Prague  '  and  the  variations  of  Henri  Herz  to  the  fan- 
tasies of  Schumann,  the  songs  of  Rubinstein,  the  Schu- 
bert transcriptions  of  Liszt,  and  is  still  pushing  on  and 
on,  like  Columbus,  sailing  beyond  the  horizon  into  the 
unknown  seas.  But  through  all  changes  the  one  figure 
which  has  remained,  the  laureate  of  the  past  and  the 
herald  of  the  future,  is  Theodore  Thomas. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  I  suppose  there  are  very  few  guests  at 
these  tables  of  memory  so  daring  as  mine,  which  recalls 
the  coming  of  Jenny  Lind  to  this  country.  I  remember 
her  always  with  a  certain  selfish  pleasure,  because  I  heard 
her,  I  believe,  every  evening  that  she  sang  in  this  city, 


360          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

and  when  on  the  last  evening  she  sang  her  farewell  to 
America  at  Castle  Garden,  she  held  in  her  hand  a  bouquet 
that  I  had  sent  her,  and  which  still  perfumes  my  recollec- 
tion of  that  incomparable  singer.  A  few  years  before, 
when  Fanny  Elssler  was  here,  bewitching  the  heels  rather 
than  the  heads  or  hearts  of  the  golden  youth  of  that  time, 
they  unharnessed  the  horses  from  her  carriage  and  drew 
her  across  the  street  to  her  hotel,  merely  substituting,  as 
an  elderly  cynic  of  the  time  remarked,  jackasses  for  horses ! 
We  did  not  draw  Jenny  Lind  in  her  carriage,  but  the 
youth  of  her  day — of  whom  my  young  friend  Parke  God- 
win was  one,  who  paid  his  tribute  in  the  charming  tale  of 
*  Vala ' — have  borne  her  in  their  hearts  across  a  gen- 
eration, and  their  hearts  still  rise  at  the  mention  of  her 
name  as  the  Garde  du  Roi  sprang  cheering  to  their  feet 
when  the  Queen  appeared.  There  is  one  story  of  Jenny 
Lind  which  I  always  recall  with  entire  confidence  in  its 
truth,  because  it  ought  to  be  true.  After  her  return  from 
her  American  triumph  she  was  in  Italy,  and  went  one  day 
from  Florence  to  the  convent  at  Vallombrosa,  to  which 
the  young  Milton  went  when  on  his  travels.  When  she 
came  to  the  chapel  the  monks,  with  courteous  and  depre- 
cating regret,  told  her  that  unhappily  no  woman  could 
enter.  She  smiled  as  she  said,  '  Perhaps  if  you  knew 
who  I  am  you  would  let  me  in.'  *  And  who  might  the 
gracious  lady  be?'  returned  the  monks.  And  when  she 
said  '  I  am  Jenny  Lind,'  every  head  bowed,  and  the  doors 
were  flung  wide  open.  Then  when  she  seated  herself  at 
the  organ  and  sang  where  Milton  had  sat  and  played 
and  sang,  I  can  imagine  the  heavenly  visions  that  floated 
before  the  minds  of  the  monks,  and  that  they  crossed 
themselves  reverently  as  they  listened  and  believed  that 
St.  Cecilia  had  descended. 

"  That  is  what  I  have  always  thought  of  her  visit  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          361 

America.  St.  Cecilia  descended  upon  these  shores,  com- 
ing to  give  the  right  impulse  to  our  musical  development. 
But  St.  Cecilia  would  have  descended  in  vain  if  there  had 
been  no  continuing  personal  force  in  the  country  of  her 
own  spirit  in  art  of  a  kindred  enthusiasm  and  lofty  pur- 
pose. Happily,  in  the  orchestra  at  her  concerts  there  was 
a  youth  who  played  the  first  violin,  and  who  has  con- 
tinued to  play  it  ever  since,  everybody  else  playing  second 
fiddle  to  him !  To  the  genius,  the  untiring  enthusiasm,  the 
intelligence,  the  energy,  and  masterly  skill  of  that  youth 
more  than  to  any  other  single  force  we  owe  the  remark- 
able musical  interest  and  cultivation  and  the  musical  pre- 
eminence of  New  York  to-day. 

"  I  do  not  mean,  of  course,  that  there  have  not  been  other 
admirable  artists  and  effective  influences  co-operating  to 
this  noble  result.  Certainly  I  do  not  forget  Bergmann, 
nor  those  upon  whom  my  eyes  fall  at  this  moment,  nor 
the  Mendelssohn  Club,  which  last  evening  celebrated  its 
twenty-fifth  year  of  memorable  achievement  under  the 
superb  leadership  of  Joseph  Mosenthal;  nor  all  the  other 
clubs  and  societies  and  companies  of  singers  and  players 
that  have  wrought  in  the  good  work.  But  during  all  this 
time  the  constant  dominating  personality  was  that  of 
Theodore  Thomas.  It  was  Thomas  with  Bergmann, 
Mosenthal,  and  Mason  in  the  old  Dodworth  salon;  it  was 
Thomas  in  the  Central  Park  Garden,  Thomas  in  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  Thomas  in  the  great  festival  of  1882. 
It  was  always  Thomas  and  his  orchestra  and  always 
Thomas  and  his  baton,  like  the  valiant  Henry  of  Navarre 
and  his  white  plume  waving  in  the  van  of  victory. 

"  The  great  works  of  the  great  composers,  the  mighty 
music  of  the  masters  who  have  given  to  their  art  an  equal 
renown  with  the  kindred  arts  of  literature  and  painting 
and  sculpture ;  the  music  of  Bach  and  Handel,  of  Mozart 


362          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

and  Haydn,  and  Beethoven — names  that  in  their  kind 
shine  with  equal  luster  with  those  of  Raphael  and  Angelo 
and  Shakespeare — has  been  played  continuously  from  year 
to  year  under  Thomas'  direction  in  a  manner  not  even 
surpassed  at  the  Conservatoire  or  the  Gewandhaus  in  Leip- 
sic ;  while  the  music  of  a  later  day  and  of  another  charm 
has  been  so  interpreted  by  him  that  after  the  great  Wag- 
ner afternoon  at  the  festival  of  '82,  Materna  said  to  me 
that  Wagner  had  never  heard  that  work  of  his  own  so 
magnificently  rendered.  Thomas'  whole  career  has  been 
a  campaign  of  education.  If  he  has  revealed  to  us  more 
fully  the  Beethoven  whom  we  knew,  it  is  he  also  who  first 
showed  us  that  there  was  a  Wagner  who  might  be  worth 
knowing.  He  has  given  to  New  York  a  musical  distinc- 
tion, without  which  no  great  city  is  a  metropolis,  and  Chi- 
cago has  shown  the  true  metropolitan  instinct  in  securing 
his  musical  leadership.  It  is  because  of  the  dignity  of  his 
career,  its  absolute  fidelity  to  a  high  ideal,  its  total  free- 
dom from  charlatanry  of  every  kind  that  his  service  to 
this  city  has  been  so  signal  a  public  benefit  and  that  his 
departure  is  a  public  misfortune. 

"  But  a  great  interpreter  of  music,  and  such  is  a  great 
conductor,  wherever  he  goes  carries  his  own  welcome  with 
him.  It  is  not  as  a  stranger  that  he  goes  to  Chicago;  it 
is  because  he  is  not  a  stranger,  because  Chicago  knows 
him  well,  that  she  asks  him  to  come.  And  he  does  not 
go  alone.  He  takes  with  him  our  gratitude,  our  admira- 
tion, and  our  affection.  He  goes  wreathed  and  garlanded 
with  our  cheers  and  hopes  and  our  perfect  confidence  in 
his  return.  For  New  York  only  lends  Theodore  Thomas 
to  Chicago.  With  metropolitan  magnanimity  she  deco- 
rates with  one  of  her  own  precious  jewels  her  younger 
and  successful  competitor  for  the  prize  of  the  great  fair. 
But  presently  she  will  reclaim  it  and  restore  it  to  her 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          363 

crown  with  a  fresher  luster  gained  from  her  sister's 
coronet.  Therefore,  on  your  behalf,  on  behalf  of  the 
great  multitude  of  New  Yorkers,  lovers  of  music  and  of 
Thomas,  who  follow  him  with  a  pang  of  farewell  but  with 
a  hearty  godspeed,  I  say  to  him,  in  a  language  familiar 
to  him  before  he  knew  that  in  which  I  am  speaking,  *  Wir 
sagen  nicht,  leb*  wohl,  wir  sag  en  rwr,  Gott  befohlen,  bis 
auf  wiedersehen!  '  * 

"  Gentlemen,  I  give  you  the  continued  health,  the  unfail- 
ing prosperity,  the  perfect  good  fortune,  and  the  speedy 
return  of  Theodore  Thomas." 

The  day  after  this  memorable  dinner  we  moved 
out  of  the  house  on  Seventeenth  Street,  leaving 
every  mantelpiece  in  the  large  old-fashioned  rooms 
banked  high  with  the  farewell  flowers  that  had 
been  sent,  and  a  full-sized  conductor's  stand  and 
baton  made  of  roses,  in  the  deserted  study  where 
Thomas  had  labored  in  joy  and  sorrow  for  so 
many  years. 

During  the  summer  months  Thomas  returned 
and  gave  a  season  of  Summer  Night  Concerts 
in  the  new  Madison  Square  Garden.  It  was  his 
last  series  of  this  class.  They  had  done  their 
work,  and  from  henceforth  he  was  able  to  devote 
his  life  exclusively  to  that  for  which  he  had  so  long 
prepared  the  way — the  symphonic  form  of  art.  At 
the  close  of  this — his  last  long  concert  engagement 
in  New  York — the  musical  "  profession  "  took  its 
leave  of  him  in  two  large  banquets  given  in  his 
honor  by  the  Liederkranz  and  Aschenbroedel  So- 

*We  do  not  say  "farewell."  We  say  only  "God  keep  you  till 
we  meet  again." 


364          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

cieties.     Of  the  first  of  these  occasions,  he  wrote 
as  follows: 

"  NEW  YORK,  August  12,  1891. 

"  The  Liederkranz  banquet  last  night  was  a  big  affair. 
I  was  called  for  at  the  Garden,  about  half -past  nine 
o'clock,  and  driven  to  the  clubhouse.  The  manner  in 
which  I  was  received  was  very  impressive.  The  President 
and  several  other  officials  met  me  at  the  door,  and  word 
was  sent  up,  *  Er  ist  da.'  As  we  entered  the  large  hall, 
every  man  rose  and  remained  standing.  Having  bowed 
my  acknowledgments  at  the  entrance  of  the  hall — which 
seemed  to  have  no  end — I  accompanied  the  President  to 
the  seat  of  honor,  while  the  building  fairly  trembled  with 
the  shouting  of  a  thousand  men,  '  Koch  soil  er  leben! 
Hoch!  Hoch!  Hoch! '  This  was  certainly  a  very  nice 
thing  for  the  Liederkranz  to  do,  and  the  highest  honor 
they  could  bestow  on  anybody." 

The  early  fall  saw  Thomas  hard  at  work  in  his 
new  field  of  effort  in  the  West.  The  project 
looked  fair  and  hopeful  on  the  outside.  It  was 
backed  financially  by  fifty  wealthy  and  public- 
spirited  men,  and  directed  by  five  genuine  music 
lovers,  two  of  whom  had  been  prime  movers  in 
every  musical  scheme  of  importance  in  Chicago 
previous  to  this,  and  had  been  personal  friends 
of  Thomas  for  many  years — N.  K.  Fairbank  and 
Charles  D.  Hamill.  The  press  was  also  friendly 
to  the  institution  and  the  trustees  were  all  confi- 
dent in  regard  to  its  success.  They  were,  how- 
ever, quite  inexperienced  in  orchestral  matters,  and 
did  not  know  the  rocks  and  snags  beneath  the  sur- 
face as  Thomas  knew  them,  or  the  great  diffi- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          365 

culties  they  would  have  to  overcome  before  such 
an  institution  as  they  aimed  to  create  could  be 
permanently  established  in  Chicago.  In  talking 
the  matter  over  beforehand,  he  said: 

"  In  New  York  I  could  make  an  orchestra  permanent 
with  a  comparatively  small  guarantee,  or,  if  we  had  a 
suitable  home  for  it  in  a  good  location,  I  could  carry  it 
on  without  any  guarantee  at  all,  as  it  would  then  take 
care  of  itself.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  New  York 
already  has  a  large  number  of  resident  musicians  of  the 
first  rank,  who  would  be  available  material  from  which 
to  form  an  orchestra,  and  I  would  not  have  to  import  any 
men  from  Europe.  The  city  is  also  near  to  many  other 
large  cities,  and  to  most  of  the  Eastern  summer  resorts, 
so  that  we  could  place  our  surplus  concerts  out  of  town, 
in  both  winter  and  summer,  with  small  expense  for  trans- 
portation. 

"  In  Chicago,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  very  little 
resident  material  of  the  grade  required  for  my  orchestra. 
Sixty  men  must  be  imported,  either  from  New  York  or 
Europe,  and  to  induce  fine  musicians  to  take  their  famil- 
ies so  far,  and  exile  themselves  from  their  homes,  we  must 
offer  higher  salaries  than  are  paid  in  the  East.  Then, 
Chicago  is  an  almost  isolated  city,  the  only  place  of  any 
size  near  it  is  Milwaukee,  all  the  rest  are  so  far  off  that 
the  expense  of  transporting  the  orchestra  to  them  for 
concerts  consumes  more  than  the  profits,  and  results  in 
financial  loss.  So  we  cannot  count  on  out-of-town  en- 
gagements to  help  with  the  expenses.  In  Chicago  there 
is  now  a  fair-sized  audience  which  has  become  genuinely 
musical,  but  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  it  is  large 
enough  to  support  forty  symphony  concerts  a  year.  That 
is  a  great  many  concerts  to  give  in  one  city  during  a 


366          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

season.  Moreover  we  will  have  a  terrible  handicap  in  the 
immense  size  of  the  Auditorium  Theater,  where  our  con- 
certs are  to  be  given.  It  requires  an  orchestra  of  the 
very  largest  dimensions,  and  the  seating  capacity — nearly 
five  thousand — is  so  great  that  many  people  will  not  buy 
season  tickets,  knowing  that  they  can  always  get  seats  for 
single  concerts  when  they  want  to  attend.  This  will  make 
our  audience  dependent  on  the  weather,  special  attrac- 
tions, the  season  of  the  year,  or  other  conditions,  and  the 
single  ticket  sale  will  be  unreliable.  Finally,  we  do  not 
control  the  Auditorium,  and  our  season  will  be  interrupted 
whenever  some  other  organization  engages  the  theater, 
such  as  the  opera,  the  flower  shows,  charity  balls,  and 
bazaars,  etc.  Such  interruptions  always  cause  a  loss,  for 
it  takes  the  public  several  weeks  before  they  resume  regu- 
lar concert  attendance  after  one  of  them.  In  other  even 
more  important  ways,  the  Auditorium,  in  spite  of  its  re- 
markable acoustics,  is  not  adapted  to  concert  work  of  our 
class.  It  is  a  theater,  and  the  orchestra  must  sit  on  an 
inclosed  stage.  In  order  that  the  tones  of  the  various 
choirs — string,  wood-wind,  brass,  and  percussion — may 
be  thrown  out  into  the  main  body  of  the  house,  we  shall 
have  to  use  sounding-boards  of  canvas  and  wood,  above, 
below,  and  on  either  side.  In  other  words,  the  orchestra 
will  play  in  a  box,  having  one  end  only  open  toward  the 
audience.  The  effect  of  this  will  be  that  we  cannot  blend 
and  balance  the  choirs  as  we  wish,  and  the  heavier  instru- 
ments, being  at  the  back,  and  consequently  nearer  to  the 
sounding  boards,  will  strike  sharply  through  the  more 
delicate  wood-wind  and  string  choirs,  instead  of  combining 
with  them,  and  giving  the  rich,  sonorous  quality  to  the 
whole  that  is  possible  when  the  orchestra  plays  on  an 
open  stage  without  sounding  boards.  In  short,  the  con- 
ditions in  Chicago  are  by  no  means  ideal  for  the  success 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


367 


of  the  enterprise,  but  the  men  who  are  interested  in  it 
are  not  easily  discouraged,  and  they  will  carry  it  through 
successfully  if  anybody  can." 

The  Chicago  Orchestral  Association,  now  thor- 
oughly organized,  consisted  of  the  following 
members : 


J.  McGREGOE  ADAMS 
ALLISON  V.  ARMOUR 
GEORGE  A.  ARMOUR 
PHILIP  D.  ARMOUB 
S.  E.  BARRETT 
A.  C.  BARTLETT 
H.  W.  BISHOP 
T.  B.  BLACKSTONE 
CHARLES  COUNSELMAN 
JOHN  M.  CLARK 
R.  T.  CRANE 

C.   R.   CUMMINGS 

N.  K.  FAIRBANK 
C.  NORMAN  FAY 
MARSHALL  FIELD 
HENRY  FIELD 
CHARLES  W.  FULLERTON 
LYMAN  B.  GAGE 
JOHN  J.  GLESSNER 
T.  W.  HARVEY 

H.   N.   HlGGINBOTHAM 
W.    G.    HlBBARD 

CHARLES  L.  HUTCHINSON 

R.   N.  ISHAM 


ALBERT  KEEP 
S.  A.  KENT 
HENRY  W.  KING 
W.  C.  LARNED 
VICTOR  F.  LAWSON 
L.  Z.  LEITER 
J.  MASON  LOOMIS 
FRANKLIN  MACVEAGH 
E.  B.  MCCAGG 
CYRUS  H.  MCCORMICK 
O.  W.  MEYSENBURG 
THOMAS  MURDOCH 
H.  H.  PORTER 
O.  W.  POTTER 
EUGENE  S.  PIKE 
GEORGE  M.  PULLMAN 
NORMAN  B.  REAM 
MARTIN  A.  RYERSON 
BYRON  L.  SMITH 
A.  A.  SPRAGUE 
OTHO  S.  A.  SPRAGUE 
JOHN  R.  WALSH 
C.  H.  WACKER 
NORMAN  WILLIAMS 


Executive  Board 

N.  K.  FAIRBANK,  President 

C.  NORMAN  FAY,  Vice-President 

P.  A.  McEwAN,  Treasurer  and  Secretary 

MILWARD  ADAMS,  Manager 


368          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

The  foregoing  list  is  a  remarkable  one,  because 
almost  every  name  on  it  is  that  of  one  of  the 
great  pioneer  "  Captains  of  Industry,"  who  created 
the  Western  metropolis  of  Chicago.  Having  de- 
veloped its  business  resources,  and  amassed  large 
private  fortunes,  their  next  thought  was  to  build 
up  its  art  and  educational  institutions.  The 
Western  "  Captains  of  Industry  "  are  an  extraor- 
dinary class  of  men.  Quiet,  dignified,  unosten- 
tatious, and  simple  in  manner  and  habits,  these  men 
combine  the  keenest  insight  and  the  most  accurate 
judgment  with  a  princely  generosity  and  bold- 
ness of  action  which  give  them  the  immediate 
mastery  of  every  situation.  They  are  serious  men, 
with  many  cares  and  few  pleasures,  and  when  they 
are  not  in  their  offices,  superintending  their  own 
extensive  interests,  they  are  generally  to  be  found 
at  a  Directors'  meeting  of  one  or  another  of  the 
philanthropic,  educational,  or  aesthetic  enterprises 
which  they  have  called  into  being  for  the  uplift  of 
the  city,  and  for  which  they  work  with  equal 
fervor. 

As  soon  as  the  Orchestral  Association  was  fully 
organized,  Mr.  Fay  quietly  dropped  into  the  place 
allotted  to  him  on  the  Board,  and  from  hence- 
forth he  worked,  not  alone,  but  in  association  with 
others,  as  sincere  as  himself  in  their  love  of  art  and 
their  desire  to  establish  the  orchestra  as  a  perma- 
nent institution.  Amongst  these  must  be  espe- 
cially mentioned  Mr.  Charles  D.  Hamill.  He  had 
been  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Thomas  for  many 
years,  and  an  ardent  worker  in  the  cause  of  music. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          369 

He  remained  an  active  member  of  the  executive 
board  of  the  association  as  long  as  he  lived,  and 
no  one  devoted  more  time  and  unselfish  effort  to 
its  welfare  than  he. 

Immediately  after  his  appointment  as  the  mu- 
sical director  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  Thomas 
received  a  similar  appointment  from  the  directors 
of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  which  was 
to  be  held  in  Chicago  during  the  summer  of  1893. 
Before  accepting  the  latter,  he  made  it  a  condi- 
tion that  the  Bureau  of  Music  should  be  taken  out 
of  the  department  of  liberal  arts,  of  which  it  was, 
at  first,  a  section,  and  be  made  an  independent 
department,  controlled  by  a  committee  under  the 
local  Board  of  Directors,  and  not  by  the  National 
Commission  of  the  Fair.  He  foresaw  that  an 
exhibit  of  the  art  of  music  might  conflict  with 
that  of  the  music  trade,  and  he  wished  to  avoid 
the  trouble  which  might  result,  by  separating  the 
two  interests  wholly  at  the  start.  This  was 
agreed  to  by  the  men  in  authority,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, in  the  press  of  business  they  did  not 
realize  the  importance  of  going  through  the  neces- 
sary formalities  at  once,  and  the  separation  was 
not  actually  accomplished  until  the  opening  of  the 
Fair.  We  shall  see,  later,  the  disastrous  results 
of  this  procrastination. 

The  Chicago  Orchestra — as  it  was  called — was 
the  very  finest  that  money  and  experience  could 
bring  together.  As  we  have  said,  it  was  no  crude, 
undisciplined  set  of  men,  but  simply  the  famous 
old  Thomas  Orchestra  of  New  York,  reorganized, 


370          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

enlarged,  and  perfected.  No  finer  or  better 
equipped  body  of  musicians  could  be  found  in  the 
world  than  the  sixty  men  who  composed  the 
"  regular  "  orchestra,  and  but  little  inferior  were 
the  thirty  "  extra  "  players  who  were  added  to  its 
ranks  for  all  Chicago  performances.  The  fact, 
however,  that  the  latter  did  not  travel  with 
Thomas  and  were  permitted  to  take  engagements 
under  other  conductors  between  times,  always 
made  a  discrepancy  between  the  standard  of  the 
two  bodies  which  it  was  difficult  to  adjust,  and 
it  generally  took  him  a  whole  week  of  rehearsing 
before  they  were  equalized.  On  Monday  morning 
he  would  come  home  from  rehearsal  tired  and  dis- 
gusted. '  The  orchestra  sounded  like  a  jews- 
harp,"  he  would  say  impatiently.  The  next  day 
it  would  go  better,  and  by  the  Friday  matinee 
all  would  be  in  good  order.  But  the  next  Mon- 
day a  new  programme  would  be  on,  and  he  would 
have  the  work  all  to  do  over  again. 

The  season  of  1891-92  was  a  regular  "  old- 
timer  "  for  hard  work,  traveling,  and  difficulties  of 
all  kinds.  In  order  to  increase  the  revenues  of 
the  association  it  was  necessary  to  give  concerts 
in  the  ratio  of  four  performances  to  the  week 
throughout  the  season.  But,  as  this  was  double  the 
number  of  concerts  which  could  be  supported  by 
Chicago,  Thomas  planned  to  distribute  them  un- 
equally, spending  several  weeks  at  home,  when 
only  two  concerts  per  week  would  be  given,  and 
then  taking  the  orchestra  on  a  short  tour  when 
ten  or  twelve  concerts  would  be  given  in  as  many 


o 
it 

c8 


u 

»\ 

s 

s 


O 

o 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          371 

days.  .By  some  mistake,  his  instructions  were 
misunderstood,  and  the  manager  supposed  he  was 
to  place  two  extra  concerts  somewhere  every 
week.  Consequently,  when  Thomas  arrived  in 
Chicago,  early  in  September,  and  needed  every 
possible  hour  of  rehearsal  to  bring  the  local  con- 
tingent of  the  orchestra  up  to  the  standard  of  the 
imported  section,  he  was  appalled  to  discover  that 
engagements  in  other  cities — often  necessitating 
long  journeys — had  been  made  for  Monday,  Tues- 
day, and  sometimes  even  Wednesday  of  every 
week  of  the  season,  so  that  he  could  have  only  one 
single  rehearsal  each  week  in  which  to  prepare  two 
or  three  programmes,  and  that  he  and  the  men 
would  be  kept  traveling  so  constantly  that  there 
would  not  be  time  enough  between  the  journeys 
to  even  get  rested  and  in  fit  condition  for  per- 
formance. 

As  the  engagements  were  made,  however,  there 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  "  fight  it  through  "  as 
he  had  so  often  done  before,  and  do  the  best  he 
could.  Fortunately  his  old  orchestra  players  were 
so  much  in  the  majority,  and  so  well  trained  from 
former  years,  that  they  were  able  to  carry  the  rest 
along  with  them,  but  no  very  high  standard  was 
possible  under  these  conditions,  and  it  was  not 
until  its  second  year  that  the  "  Thomas  standard  " 
began  to  be  stamped  on  the  performances  of  the 
Chicago  Orchestra. 

Thomas  now  created  a  new  "  Highway "  for 
himself  in  the  Western  country.  Its  boundaries 
were  not  quite  so  well  defined  as  those  of  the  old 


372          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  Highway  "  had  been,  but  in  a  general  way  it 
lay  within  the  region  limited  by  St.  Paul,  Omaha, 
Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  Nashville,  Cincinnati, 
Cleveland,  Milwaukee,  and  the  intermediate  cities, 
and  he  began  to  do  the  same  kind  of  work  for 
these  places  that  he  had  already  done  for  the 
cities  of  the  East,  visiting  them  so  frequently 
that  the  people  learned  to  know  and  love  the 
highest  class  of  music,  and  raising  the  local 
standards  of  art  in  every  way.  But  Thomas  was 
getting  on  in  years  now,  and  he  longed  to  play 
to  an  audience  which  could  understand  his  best, 
without  any  more  preparatory  effort — an  audi- 
ence like  that  of  Boston,  or  of  the  New  York 
Philharmonic  Society  which  he  had  left  behind  in 
the  East — and  missionary  work  did  not  appeal 
to  him  as  it  had  in  former  years.  "  I  long  for 
rest,"  he  said,  "  and  the  opportunity  to  devote 
myself  to  my  specialty.  I  ought  not  to  be  ex- 
pected to  travel  about  and  do  pioneer  work  any 
more,  and  I  have  not  the  physical  endurance  for 
it  now,  either;  it  will  be  my  ruin  if  I  have  to  keep 
it  up  much  longer." 

During  May  a  short  series  of  festivals  were 
given  in  Nashville,  Kansas  City,  Omaha,  and 
other  places,  and  while  on  this  tour  he  wrote  as 
follows : 

"NASHVILLE,  TENN.,  May  4,  1892. 

"  To-day  matters  do  not  run  smoothly  with  me  at  all. 
It  is  summer  heat  here  and  the  town  overcrowded  in  con- 
sequence of  the  races.  I  was  not  expected  at  the  hotel 
last  night,  and  had  to  wait  a  long  time  before  I  could 


I 

83 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         373 

be  accommodated  with  a  room,  and  got  one  then  only  with 
difficulty.  I  had  no  sleep,  and  my  trunk  was  lost  and 
did  not  turn  up  until  this  morning.  Finally  I  have  an 
overwhelming  mail,  and  must  write  letters  instead  of  study- 
ing my  scores, — in  short,  everything  seems  to  go  wrong 
to-day ! 

"  Here  I  was  interrupted,  and  meantime  we  have  trav- 
eled to  Kansas  City.  The  heat  in  Nashville  finished  me, 
and  I  have  not  been  well  since,  but  my  stay  there  was  not 
without  its  pleasant  features  also.  After  the  first  concert 
a  gentleman  came  rushing  into  my  room,  who  I  learned 
afterwards  was  a  recent  convert  of  the  evangelist  Moody 
— a  nice  man,  whole-souled  and  sincere.  Seizing  my  hand 
he  inquired  earnestly,  '  Mr.  Thomas,  are  you  a  Chris- 
tian? '  I  did  not  know  quite  what  to  reply  to  this  unex- 
pected demand,  as  his  idea  of  a  Christian  and  mine  might 
not  blend.  So  I  took  refuge  behind  you  and  murmured 
something  to  the  effect  that  '  my  wife  went  to  church.' 
This  seemed  to  satisfy  him,  and  he  said,  '  I  just  wanted 
to  make  sure  that  the  Lord  had  some  of  your  kind  on  his 
side ! '  and  off  he  went. 

"  The  next  day  some  ladies  made  up  a  very  pleasant 
party  to  drive  out  to  General  Jackson's  old  home,  the 
*  Hermitage.'  It  was  a  picnic,  and  although  I  gener- 
ally do  not  like  picnics,  it  was,  after  all,  a  pleasant  change 
and  rest  for  me.  The  *  Hermitage '  is  a  fine  old  Southern 
mansion,  thirteen  miles  out  in  the  country;  for  our  party 
all  barriers  were  opened,  and  we  had  the  freedom  of  the 
house,  and  were  even  allowed  to  eat  our  luncheon  in  the 
dining-room.  My  friend  of  the  night  before  was  one  of 
the  party,  and  no  sooner  were  we  seated  at  the  table,  with 
baskets  and  boxes  opened  for  the  feast,  than  he  turned 
to  me,  as  the  guest  of  honor,  and  said  very  solemnly, 
'  Brother  Thomas,  will  you  ask  the  blessing?  '  I  was  so 


374          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

taken  aback  at  this  unexpected  request  to  officiate  in  the 
role  of  priest,  that  I  believe  I  would  have  said  my  *  Vater 
unser,'  in  German,  as  the  nearest  approach  to  a  '  grace ' 
that  I  could  command,  had  not  a  quick-witted  woman  ex- 
tricated me  from  the  dilemma  by  hastily  replying  for  me, 
*  I  think  as  we  have  a  descendant  of  General  Jackson  here 
with  us  to-day,  it  would  be  more  appropriate  to  ask  him.' 
And  so  it  was  arranged !  " 


At  the  end  of  this  tour  came  the  regular  Cincin- 
nati biennial  festival,  which  brought  this  difficult 
and  fatiguing  season  to  a  close.  Taken  for  all  in 
all,  it  had  been  a  great  disappointment  to  Thomas. 
He  did  not  so  much  mind  the  inferior  standard  of 
the  performances,  because  he  knew  that  that  would 
be  corrected  another  year,  when  he  should  have 
command  of  the  proper  number  of  rehearsals;  but 
what  did  disturb  him  and  make  him  very  anxious 
for  the  ultimate  success  of  the  institution  was  the 
forlorn  little  audiences  scattered  through  the  vast 
empty  reaches  of  the  Auditorium  all  winter,  and 
the  mighty  deficit  of  $53,000,  which  the  balance 
sheet  of  the  Association  showed  as  the  financial 
result  of  its  first  year.  That  was  something  he 
had  not  expected,  and  it  seemed  to  him  to  indi- 
cate that  Chicago  was  not  yet  ripe  for  a  symphony 
orchestra,  and  that  it  could  not  be  supported 
there.  To  his  surprise,  however,  no  one  com- 
plained. The  financial  loss  was  met,  and  the 
trustees  did  not  ask  him  to  lower  the  standard  in 
any  way,  but,  on  the  contrary,  told  him  to  go  right 
on  and  perfect  the  institution  on  the  original 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          375 

lines.  One  concession  only  was  made  to  the  popu- 
lar demand.  During  the  first  year,  ten  of  the 
forty  concerts  given  had  "  popular  "  programmes, 
— that  is,  programmes  of  miscellaneous  numbers, 
without  a  symphony, — the  rest  had  symphony 
programmes  of  the  regulation  type.  For  the  sec- 
ond season  it  was  decided  to  give  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  programmes  without  a  symphony,  and 
work  the  audience  up  to  the  symphonic  standard 
a  little  more  slowly,  though  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  "  popular  "  programmes  of  Thomas  were 
now  not  much  lighter  than  the  others,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  and  the  unpopular  symphony  was  gen- 
erally replaced  by  a  long  Suite,  or  Symphonic 
Poem  of  some  sort,  which  differed  from  the  real 
article  chiefly  in  being  the  vehicle  of  some  specified 
dramatic  action  or  mood,  of  which  the  story  was 
printed  on  the  programme.  The  trustees  also 
decided  to  add  a  short  series  of  concerts  for 
workingmen,  similar  to  those  Thomas  had  pre- 
viously given  to  the  same  class  of  hearers  in  New 
York.  With  these  exceptions,  the  orchestra  was 
to  be  maintained  on  the  same  lines  as  during  its 
first  season. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

1892-1893 

THOMAS  AND  THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION LET- 
TERS FROM  SAINT  SAENS,  RICHTER,  NIKISCH,  TSCHAI- 
KOWSKY,  BRAHMS,  AND  MASSENET 

THE  second  year  of  Thomas'  sojourn  in  Chi- 
cago began  with  an  interesting  event — the  open- 
ing ceremonies  of  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position. It  had  been  intended  to  hold  this  great 
Fair  during  the  summer  of  1892,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  four-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  dis- 
covery of  America  by  Columbus.  But,  meantime, 
the  plans  for  buildings  and  exhibits  had  become  so 
extensive,  that  it  was  impossible  to  have  the  Ex- 
position ready  so  soon.  It  was  therefore  decided 
to  postpone  it  until  1893,  but  to  hold  the  offi- 
cial inaugural  ceremonies  during  the  preceding 
October. 

The  architecture  of  the  Fair  had  been  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  well-known  Chicago  firm  of 
Burnham  and  Root,  and  to  Mr.  John  Root  be- 
longs the  credit  of  suggesting  its  original  scheme, 
although  it  was  eventually  carried  out  on  much 
more  beautiful  and  extensive  lines  than  those  he 
had  sketched.  The  death  of  Mr.  Root  left  the 
matter  entirely  in  the  hands  of  his  partner,  Daniel 
H.  Burnham,  one  of  those  master-minds  who  im- 

876 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          377 

part  greatness  to  everything  they  touch,  Instead 
of  keeping  the  work  in  his  own  office — which  most 
men  would  have  done — he  conceived  the  idea  of 
bringing  together  all  the  most  eminent  architects 
of  the  nation,  and  creating  a  city  of  exhibition 
buildings  which  should  surpass,  in  artistic  beauty, 
anything  the  world  had  ever  seen.  The  architects 
readily  agreed  to  this  alluring  plan,  and  at  their 
first  consultation  it  was  decided  to  adopt  the  classic 
style  for  the  architecture  of  the  "  White  City,"  as 
it  was  called.  Each  firm  was  given  carte  blanche 
to  design  a  building  in  this  style,  and  as  the  ma- 
terial of  which  they  were  to  be  constructed  was 
a  sort  of  plaster  called  "  staff,"  which  could  be 
molded  into  any  kind  of  ornamental  shape,  there 
was  no  limit,  but  artistic  taste,  to  architectural  en- 
richments in  the  matter  of  columns,  moldings, 
cornices,  etc.  Next,  the  sculptors  of  the  country 
were  called  upon  to  design  suitable  statues,  foun- 
tains, and  monumental  pillars,  for  buildings, 
bridges,  and  grounds;  and  the  painters  were  in- 
vited to  design  decorations  in  color  for  wall- 
surfaces  and  domes.  Finally,  Frederick  Law  Olm- 
stead  was  given  the  work  of  planning  the  water- 
ways, islands,  and  landscape  features  of  the  Fair, 
and  of  indicating  the  sites  where  the  buildings, 
bridges,  etc.,  should  be  erected.  In  short,  the 
Chicago  World's  Fair  of  1893  represented  the 
combined  effort  of  all  the  architects,  sculptors,  and 
painters  of  America,  working  in  harmony  and 
enthusiasm  under  the  inspiring  captaincy  of  Burn- 
ham — the  greatest  and  yet  the  most  modest  of 


378 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


them  all.  The  result  was  a  miracle  of  beauty 
which  those  who  saw  it  will  never  forget,  and 
which  is  not  likely  to  be  repeated  in  any  other 
city  or  land  during  our  time. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the 
Inaugural  Ceremonies  of  the  Fair  was  when  all 
these  Master  Artists  came  forward  in  a  body  and 
received  the  medals  presented  by  the  Exposition 


Medal  Presented  at  the  Inaugural  Ceremonies  to  the  Artists  who 
Designed  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 

officials.  The  list,  which  is  given  below,  includes 
nearly  all  the  leading  architects,  sculptors,  and 
painters  of  America  of  that  day: 


CHARLES  F.  Me  KIM 
WILLIAM  R.  MEAD 
JOHN  G.  STEAENE 
RICHARD  MORRIS  HUNT 
HENRY  VAN  BRUNT 
Louis  SULLIVAN 
W.  L.  B.  JENNEY 
SOPHIA  G.  HAYDEN 


ROBERT  S.  PEABODY 
GEORGE  B.  POST 
S.  S.  BEMAN 
FRANK  M.  HOWE 
DANKMAR  ADLER 
FRANCIS  M.  WHITEHOUSB 
HENRY  IVES  COBB 
CHARLES  B.  ATWOOD 


Matzene  Studio,  Chicago 


Daniel  H.  Burnham, 
Architect  in  Chief  of  the  World's   Columbian   Exposition 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          379 

FRANCIS  D.  MILLET  DANIEL  H.  BUENHAM 

W.  J.  EDBROOKE  F.  W.  GROGAN 

FREDERICK  LAW  OLMSTED  MARTIN  ROCHE 

WILLIAM  HOLABIRD  PHILIP  MARTINY 

CARL  BITTER  GEORGE  W.  MAYNARD 

DANIEL  C.  FRENCH  THEODORE  BAUR 

H.    T.    SCHLADERMUNDT  JOHN   J.   BOYLE 

CARL  ROHL-SMITH  Miss  ENID  YANDELL 

LORADO  TAFT  OLIN  N.  WARNER 

Miss  ALICE  RIDEOUT  JAMES  A.  BLANC  KINGSHIP 

EDWARD  KEMEYS  FREDERICK  MACMONNIES 

HENRY  A.  McNEiL  WALTER  McEwEN 

Miss  MARY  CASSATT  J.  ALDEN  WEIR 

GARI  MELCHERS  CHARLES  REINHART 

ROBERT  REID  A.  PHIMISTER  PROCTOR 

E.  H.  BLASHFIELD  JOHN  CHARLES  OLMSTED 

EDWARD  C.  POTTER  HENRY  SARGENT  CODMAN 
MRS.  FREDERICK  MACMONNIES   J.  CARROLL  BECKWITH 

WALTER  SHIRLAW  KENYON  Cox 

E.  E.  SIMMONS  RICHARD  W.  BOCK 

ELMER  E.  GARNSEY  Louis  J.  MILLET 

GEORGE  L.  HEALY  C.  Y.  TURNER 

MAITLAND  ARMSTRONG  ROBERT  KRAUS 

M.  A.  WAAGEN  WILLIAM  L.  DODGE 

JOHANNES  GELERT  AUGUSTUS  ST.  GAUDENS 

ALEXANDRE  SANDIER  FREDERICK  SARGENT 

EDWARD  C.  SHANKLAND  WILLIAM  S.  MACHARG 

RUDOLPH  ULRICH  ERNEST  R.  GRAHAM 

JOHN  W.  ALVORD  J.  K.  PAINE 

THEODORE  THOMAS  G.  W.  CHADWICK 

W.  L.  TOMLINS  HARRIET  STONE  MONROE 
STANFORD  WHITE 

As  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting  were 

to  have  such  a  splendid  exhibit  at  the  Fair,  it 
was  fitting  that  the  sister  art  of  music  should  be 

equally  well  represented,  and  Thomas,  therefore, 


380          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

made  his  plans  on  the  most  extensive  scale.  Two 
music  halls  were  built  for  his  use  on  the  Exposi- 
tion grounds;  one  of  moderate  size,  for  symphony 
concerts,  and  the  other  of  very  large  dimensions, 
for  festivals  and  free  popular  concerts. 

Even  the  largest  of  these  halls,  however,  was 
not  large  enough  to  contain  a  tithe  of  the  people 
who  were  expected  to  be  present  at  the  inaugural 
ceremonies,  and  the  building  used  for  them  was 
that  in  which  the  exhibit  of  the  Liberal  Arts  was 
afterwards  installed,  nor  was  it  any  too  large 
to  accommodate  the  attending  multitudes.  A  let- 
ter, written  by  a  member  of  our  party  on  this 
interesting  occasion,  gives  the  following  detailed 
account  of  the  day: 

"  CHICAGO,  October,  1892. 

"  The  Inaugural  Ceremonies  of  the  Columbian  Expo- 
sition took  place  yesterday.  The  weather  was  perfect, 
and  we  got  up  at  half-past  five  o'clock  in  order  to  reach 
the  Exposition  grounds  in  season,  for  they  are  a  long1  way 
from  here,  and  Mr.  Thomas  had  to  hold  a  rehearsal  before 
the  ceremonies  took  place.  The  Exposition  management 
had  provided  a  small  steam  launch  to  transport  our  party, 
and  the  sail  up  the  lake  in  the  cool,  early  morning  was 
charming.  We  reached  the  grounds  at  nine  o'clock,  and 
went  at  once  to  the  building  where  the  rehearsal  and  cere- 
monies were  to  take  place.  I  wish  I  could  convey  any  idea 
of  the  size  of  this  mammoth  hall.  I  was  told  that  it  is 
one  mile  in  circumference,  and  that  if  the  Capitol  at 
Washington  should  be  put  into  it,  dome  and  all,  there 
would  still  be  plenty  of  room  to  spare  between  its  highest 
point  and  the  top  of  the  great  steel  arches  which  support 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          381 

the  roof.  The  stage  for  the  musicians,  which  was  built 
at  one  end,  was  as  large  as  the  entire  Metropolitan  Opera 
House  in  New  York,  but  it  only  seemed  of  ordinary  di- 
mensions. The  speakers'  stage  was  placed  in  the  middle 
of  the  eastern  side  of  the  building,  and  yet  was  so  far 
from  ours  that  communication  had  to  be  carried  on  be- 
tween the  two  by  telephone.  Regiments  of  soldiers — 
cavalry  and  infantry — marched  in  at  the  great  doors  in 
double  platoons,  performed  evolutions  under  the  colonnades 
at  the  side,  and  marched  out  again  without  being  noticed, 
and  the  Washington  Marine  Band,  which  was  stationed 
at  the  north  end  of  the  building,  and  played  for  the 
entrance  of  the  state  dignitaries,  could  hardly  be  heard 
at  all  from  our  end. 

"  By  the  time  the  ceremonies  began,  all  this  great  space 
was  filled  with  one  solid,  compact  sea  of  humanity,  and 
when  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  his  train 
entered,  the  multitude  rose  and  a  deep,  portentous  roar, 
like  the  ocean,  resounded  through  the  building.  Then 
every  man  and  woman  pulled  out  a  handkerchief,  and 
waved  it,  and  it  was  as  if  this  strange  human  sea  had 
suddenly  broken  into  thousands  of  foaming  billows.  Our 
little  party  sat  on  the  lower  step  of  the  conductor's  stand, 
right  under  Mr.  Thomas'  hand.  On  my  expressing  sur- 
prise that  he  should  put  us  in  this  conspicuous  place,  he 
laughed  and  said,  *  No  one  will  see  you  in  such  a  crowd, 
you  will  be  as  well  hidden  as  if  you  were  on  the  floor,  and 
it  will  be  worth  your  while  to  be  where  you  can  see  what 
is  happening  yourself.'  The  event  proved  that  he  was 
correct. 

"  As  everything  was  on  such  a  vast  scale,  Mr.  Thomas 
had  5,500  voices  in  his  chorus,  two  hundred  players  in  the 
orchestra,  two  large  military  bands,  and  two  drum  corps, 
of  fifty  each.  The  latter  were  stationed  in  a  balcony 


382          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

above,  on  either  side  of  the  stage.  As  he  could  not  speak 
to  this  great  body  of  performers,  by  reason  of  the  dis- 
tance, and  they  could  not  see  his  baton  distinctly,  he  did 
not  use  one,  but  instead  held  a  handkerchief  in  his  hand, 
gathering  in  the  ends  so  that  they  could  not  flutter,  but 
leaving  enough  of  it  visible  to  catch  the  eye  of  even  the 
remotest  singer  on  the  top  row.  As  the  time  for1  each  of 
the  musical  numbers  drew  near,  he  gave  a  signal  to  the  two 
drum  corps,  who  immediately  began  a  long  double  roll, 
which  started  softly,  swelled  louder  and  louder,  fell  and 
rose  again  in  obedience  to  the  hand  which  held  the  hand- 
kerchief, until  every  performer  had  found  his  place,  every 
instrument  was  in  position,  every  eye  fixed  on  the  con- 
ductor, and  every  listener  spell-bound  in  attention,  and 
then,  CEASH  !  the  sound  was  like  the  last  trump,  and  the 
attack  of  these  thousands  was  as  sharp  and  steady  as  in 
an  ordinary  concert.  Mr.  Thomas  was  in  his  element  with 
all  these  masses  to  handle,  and  controlled  them  without  any 
apparent  effort.  The  full  programme  of  the  ceremonies 
was  as  follows: 

INAUGURAL  CEREMONIES 

OF 

THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 

CHICAGO,  OCTOBER,  1892 

1.  Columbus  March  and  Hymn. John  K.  Paine 

2.  Prayer,  by  Bishop  C.  H.  Fowler  of  California. 

3.  Introductory   Address,   by   Director-General  G.   R. 

Davis. 

4.  Address  of  Welcome,  by  Mayor  Hempstead  Wash- 

burn. 

5.  Recitation  of  Harriet  Munroe's  Dedicatory  Ode,  set 

to  music  by  George  W.  Chadwick. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          383 

6.  Presentation  of  medals  to  the  master  artists  of  the 

Exposition. 
Music,  "  To  the  Sons  of  Art  " Mendelssohn 

7.  Address,  by  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer,  President  of  the 

Women's  Department. 

8.  Tender  of  the  Buildings,  by  the  President  of  the 

World's    Columbian    Exposition    to    the    World's 
Columbian  Commission. 

9.  Presentation  of  the  Buildings,  by  the  President  of  the 

World's  Columbian  Commission  to  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  United  States. 

10.  Dedication  of  the  Buildings,  by  the  Vice-President 

of  the  United  States. 

11.  Hallelujah  Chorus,  from  "  The  Messiah  " .  .  .Haendel 

12.  Dedicatory  Oration,  by  Hon.  Henry  Watterson. 

13.  The  Star-Spangled  Banner. 

14.  Columbian  Oration,  by1  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew. 

15.  Prayer,  by  Cardinal  Gibbons  of  New  York. 

16.  Chorus,  "  In  Praise  of  God." 

17.  Benediction,  by  Rev.  C.  H.  McCook  of  Philadelphia. 

18.  National  Salute. 

"  The  musical  numbers  were  all  received  with  enthusiasm, 
and  the  works  of  the  American  composers,  Chadwick  and 
Paine,  brought  out  hearty  applause.  But  when  Haendel's 
'  Hallelujah  Chorus '  burst  forth  from  the  fifty-five  hun- 
dred voices  of  the  chorus,  the  crowd  cheered  mightily,  and 
after  those  at  our  end  of  the  building  ceased,  the  audience 
at  the  far  north  end  took  it  up,  and  sent  an  answering 
cheer  from  the  distance.  It  was  a  strange  and  thrilling 
sound. 

"  The  ceremonies  took  so  long  that  it  was  already  dark 
when  we  left  the  Fair  grounds  on  the  little  steam  launch 
for  the  voyage  home,  and  a  slight  haze  obscured  the 
stars.  For  a  time  we  steamed  along  quietly,  through  the 


384          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

dim  atmosphere,  when  suddenly  there  appeared  athwart 
the  sky  a  great,  snow-white,  transparent  arc  of  light, 
broad  and  soft  as  a  summer  cloud,  glowing  with  white 
fire,  like  a  moonstone,  extending  from  the  shore  to  the 
eastern  horizon  across  the  lake.  It  was  the  new  search- 
light, now  used  for  the  first  time — the  most  beautiful, 
unearthly  effect  of  light  imaginable,  and  impressed  me 
more  than  the  five  thousand  rockets  which  I  saw  exploded 
simultaneously  later." 

The  second  season  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra 
opened  auspiciously  with  two  crowded  audiences, 
at  its  first  concerts.  This  year  the  orchestra  had 
its  full  quota  of  rehearsals,  and  its  standard  was 
correspondingly  high.  But,  to  the  disappointment 
of  Thomas  and  the  trustees,  the  audiences,  after 
the  first  week,  were  but  little  larger  than  those  of 
the  previous  year,  and  the  traveling,  though  at 
less  frequent  intervals,  was  harder  than  ever,  and 
the  tours  longer.  The  following  letters  were 
written  on  these  trips: 

"  TORONTO,  December  28,  1892. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  away  from  home  a  long  time ; 
I  suppose  because  I  was  tired  when  I  started.  We  did 
not  arrive  in  London  (Canada)  until  two  or  three  o'clock 
this  morning,  and  my  trunk  did  not  reach  me  till  six. 
The  hotel  is  an  old  house,  and  run  down.  It  was  cold, 
and  although  I  had  a  fire  lighted,  the  room  could  not  be 
warmed.  I  suppose  it  never  was  heated  before  and  the 
walls  are  chilled  through  and  through.  So  I  did  not  take 
off  my  underclothing  or  socks  from  Sunday  morning  till 
Monday  night.  The  washing  arrangements  were  also  not 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          385 

inviting  enough  to  make  much  use  of.  We  finally  left 
London  on  an  accommodation  train  at  half-past  seven 
A.M.,  traveling  six  or  seven  hours  to  the  next  stop.  The 
car  was  overcrowded,  and  filled  with  bad  odors  and  crying 
children.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  the  difference  cleanliness 
makes,  but  I  felt  utterly  demoralized  by  the  time  we 
reached  Toronto.  Here  I  have  a  steam-heated  room, 
which  drives  me  nearly  mad  it  is  so  hot.  This  is  also 
a  second-class  hotel,  but  though  cheap  it  is  clean  and  I 
have  a  bathroom.  The  weather  is  clear  and  cold  and  I 
hope  now  to  get  into  better  condition  in  a  day  or  two." 

"  SANDUSKY,  January  1,  1893. 

"  This  seems  to  be  a  curious  place.  I  have  never  been 
here  before  and  am  told  that  it  was  merely  a  railroad  sta- 
tion until  lately,  and  that  it  has  developed  into  quite  a 
town  since  the  Chicago  fire,  when  many  people  came  here 
from  Chicago.  It  is  certainly  very  trying  to  travel  when 
the  thermometer  is  below  zero.  The  cars  are  overheated, 
and  then,  in  these  miserable  second-  and  third-rate  hotels 
the  rooms  are  rarely  heated  at  all,  consequently  one  is 
either  freezing  with  cold  or  uncomfortably  hot.  The  days 
are  all  taken  up  with  traveling  and  there  is  little  chance 
for  letter  writing.  To-day  is  Sunday,  but  many  of  the 
stores  are  open  here  and  all  the  theaters.  To  one  of  them 
the  orchestra  is  invited,  and  probably  every  man  of  it 
will  go  but  myself.  After  the  theater  I  have  invited  them 
all  to  a  glass  of  beer  with  me.  The  spirit  of  an  organized 
body,  and  a  natural  pride  are  making  themselves  felt  in 
our  orchestra,  and  I  like  to  foster  it  by  an  occasional 
little  social  festivity  of  this  kind.  Your  letter  I  received 
yesterday,  and  I  hope  that  after  this  the  deaf  old  furnace 
man  will  behave  himself,  for  I  know  that  a  regular  life, 
good  food,  and  good  air  are  the  greatest  safeguards 


386         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

against  drunkenness.  You  need  not  quote  the  Bible  in 
justification  for  giving  them  to  him ;  I  do  the  same,  even 
without  the  authority  of  that  much  abused  book. 

"  In  Toronto,  Busoni  was  the  soloist.  We  played  the 
Liszt  concerto,  without  any  rehearsal,  even  of  the  or- 
chestra parts,  and  you  know  I  do  not  like  to  do  that 
very  often.  But  it  could  not  have  been  played  better, 
although  I  doubt  if  a  dozen  of  our  men  had  ever  seen 
the  music  before.  I  long  to  be  at  home  again,  and  am 
sorry  that  when  I  am  there  I  must  be  so  busy  and  get 
so  tired  every  day.  The  World's  Fair  is  very  near  now, 
and  already  I  am  anticipating  the  quiet  restful  atmos- 
phere that  I  shall  enjoy  next  winter  after  it  is  over." 

Thomas  might  well  say  that  he  was  busy  and 
tired  while  at  home,  for  during  the  winter,  spring, 
and  summer  of  1892-93,  he  worked  from  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  one  or  two  o'clock 
the  following  morning,  day  in  and  day  out,  and 
sometimes  he  would  even  be  called  out  of  bed 
to  interview  people  on  the  business  of  the  World's 
Fair,  or  receive  them  while  at  his  meals.  But  he 
was  so  interested  in  the  work  that  he  did  not  care 
how  much  time  and  effort  it  cost  him. 

The  .Bureau  of  Music  of  the  Columbian  Ex- 
position consisted  of  three  officers:  Theodore 
Thomas,  Musical  Director;  William  L.  Tomlins, 
Choral  Director,  and  George  H.  Wilson,  Secre- 
tary. In  planning  its  exhibit  Thomas  grouped 
his  performances  around  two  central  ideas.  First, 
to  make  a  complete  showing  to  the  world  of  the 
musical  progress  of  America,  both  executive  and 
creative,  in  all  departments.  Second,  to  make  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          387 

complete  showing  to  America  of  the  music  of  the 
world,  as  exemplified  by  the  most  enlightened 
nations  of  Europe.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan, 
he  arranged  fourteen  different  series  of  concerts 
as  follows: 

CONCERT  SCHEME 

OF 

THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 
CHICAGO,  1893 

I.    Daily  free  orchestral  concerts  by  the  Exposition 

Orchestra  in  Festival  Hall. 

II.    Daily  open-air  concerts  by  the  Exposition  bands. 
III.     Symphony  concerts  by  the  Exposition  Orchestra 

in  the  Music  Hall. 
IV.     Symphony  concerts  by  visiting  orchestras,  in  the 

Music  Hall. 

V.    Band  concerts  by  visiting  Military  Bands. 
VI.    Choral  concerts  by  the  Exposition  Chorus. 
VII.    Choral  concerts  by  visiting  choral  societies. 
VIII.    Children's   concerts  by  the  Exposition   Children's 

Chorus. 
IX.    Concerts    in    which    famous    European    musicians 

play  or  conduct  their  own  works. 
X.    Chamber  concerts. 
XI.    Artists'  Recitals. 
XII.    Musical  Festivals. 

XIII.    Concerts  by  Women  in  the  Women's  Building. 
XIV.    Concerts  by  a  National  Convention  of  Women's 
Amateur    Musical    Clubs    from    all    parts    of 
America. 

For  the  execution  of  such  an  extensive  scheme 
as  this,  it  was,  of  course,  necessary  to  provide 


388          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

large  local  orchestral  and  choral  forces.  First  of 
these  was  the  Exposition  Orchestra,  which  con- 
sisted of  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  enlarged  to  114 
men,  and  two  large  military  bands.  Next  came 
the  Exposition  Chorus  of  1,000  voices,  and, 
finally,  the  Children's  World's  Fair  Chorus  of 
1,200,  the  two  latter  being  under  the  leadership  of 
Choral  Director  Tomlins. 

The  visiting  organizations  which  were  heard 
singly,  or  in  combination,  in  the  various  concerts, 
were  as  follows: 

INSTRUMENTAL 

Boston  Symphony  New  York  Symphony 

New  York  Philharmonic  The  Kneisel  Quartette 

BANDS 

Sousa's  Marshall  Military 

Gilmore's  Sanford's 

Cincinnati  Military  Mexican 

Elgin  Hungarian 

Iowa  Neapolitan 

Garde  Republique  The  Royal  Scottish  Pipers 

CHORAL    SOCIETIES 

Chicago  Apollo  Club  Milwaukee  Arion 

Russian  Chorus  Brooklyn  Arion 

St.  Paul  Choral  Association  German-American  Women's 
Minneapolis  Choral  Associ-  Society 

ation  New  York  Liederkranz 

Cincinnati  Festival  Chorus  Cleveland  Vocal 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          389 

Columbus  Arion  Choral  Societies  from  Nine 

Dayton  Philharmonic  Kansas  cities  : 

Louisville  Musical  Topeka 

Omaha  Apollo  Emporia 

Pittsburg  Mozart  Abilene 

Philadelphia  Junger  Maen-  Newton 

nercTior  Leavenworth 

American  Union  of  Swedish  Hutchinson 

Singers  Modoc 

The  Scottish  Assembly  Lyons 

Stoughton  Musical  Society  Stirling 
Lineff  Russian  Choir 

American  composers  of  the  first  rank  were 
asked  to  say  which  of  their  works  they  wished 
to  have  performed  during  the  Fair,  and  two  of 
them  were  commissioned  to  write  special  com- 
positions for  it.  Those  of  less  reputation  received 
the  following  notice  a  year  in  advance  of  its 
opening : 

"  The  Musical  Director  of  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition desires  to  include  in  the  programmes  of  its  concerts, 
representative  choral,  orchestral,  and  chamber  composi- 
tions by  native  Americans.  All  scores  received  before  Oc- 
tober 15,  1892,  will  be  submitted  to  the  following 
committee:  Sir  Alexander  C.  Mackenzie,  London;  Asgar 
Hamerick,  Baltimore ;  B.  J.  Lang,  Boston ;  William  L. 
Tomlins  and  Theodore  Thomas,  Chicago.  The  favorable 
recommendation  of  this  committee  will  be  final  and  will 
insure  performance." 

In  response  to  this  invitation  twenty-one 
composers  sent  in  compositions  of  various  kinds, 
from  which  the  committee  selected  seven  as  being 


390          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

worthy  of  performance.  Amongst  them  was  one 
from  the  pen  of  a  woman — Miss  Margaret  Lang. 
Other  women  were  similarly  honored,  for  Mrs. 
Ellen  Beach,  of  Boston,  was  commissioned  to 
compose  a  Jubilate  for  chorus  and  orchestra,  and 
the  works  of  Ingebord  von  Bronsart,  of  Weimar, 
Frances  Elliot,  of  London,  and  others  were  also 
performed. 

The  list  of  artists  who  appeared  in  one  or 
another  of  these  series  of  concerts,  included  nearly 
every  eminent  American  musician,  as  well  as  many 
of  the  most  celebrated  foreigners,  such  as  Dvorak, 
Paderewski,  etc.  Of  the  works  of  foreign  com- 
posers which  were  given,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
say  that  the  best  examples  of  every  school  and 
nationality  were  heard  in  the  course  of  the  sum- 
mer. In  short,  Thomas  followed  Burnham's  splen- 
did example  and  endeavored  to  combine  the  mu- 
sical art  and  artists  of  America  and  Europe,  as 
he  had  combined  the  architects,  sculptors,  and 
painters,  and  to  give  an  exhibition  of  every  school, 
period,  and  nationality,  such  as  had  never  before 
been  attempted  in  any  country,  and  perhaps  never 
will  be  again.  His  associates  in  the  Bureau  of 
Music,  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Tomlins,  also  worked 
with  untiring  zeal  to  achieve  the  best  results,  each 
in  his  own  department. 

About  200  concerts  in  all  were  given  by  the 
Bureau,  during  the  three  and  a  half  months  of  its 
existence,  125  of  which  were  conducted  by  Thomas 
in  person.  The  scheme  was  a  magnificent  one, 
but  the  hostile  forces  which  seem  always  to  have 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          391 

been  lurking  in  ambush  to  destroy  the  fruit  of 
his  labors  before  he  could  garner  it,  were  as 
active  in  Chicago  as  they  had  previously  been  in 
Philadelphia,  Cincinnati,  and  New  York;  and 
this  great  enterprise,  so  carefully  planned,  and  so 
arduously  worked  for,  was  wrecked  and  ruined 
ere  its  completion,  like  all  that  had  preceded  it. 
This  time  the  trouble  came  from  the  source 
which  Thomas  had  feared  when  he  made  the  con- 
dition that  the  .Bureau  of  Music  should  be  en- 
tirely independent  of  the  musical  trade  exhibit. 
Had  this  been  promptly  attended  to,  all  the  sub- 
sequent difficulty  would  have  been  avoided;  but 
the  necessary  formalities  were  delayed  until  the 
opening  of  the  Fair,  and  in  the  meantime  Thomas 
and  his  Bureau  were  technically  under  the  author- 
ity of  the  National  Commission,  a  political  body 
which  knew  little  about  art,  and  cared  less,  but 
which  was  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  business  firms  which  were  exhibiting 
instruments  and  other  musical  paraphernalia. 
Amongst  these,  the  piano  manufacturers  have 
always — because  of  the  sharp  competition  in  their 
trade — been  at  war  with  each  other.  At  the 
time  of  the  Fair  the  Steinway  firm  was  in  the 
ascendant,  in  so  far  that  it  had  secured  the  in- 
dorsement of  most  of  the  great  European 
pianists  who  visited  America,  nearly  all  of  whom 
used  its  pianos  while  here.  For  reasons  of  its 
own,  the  Steinway  firm  declined  to  exhibit  their 
pianos  at  the  Fair,  and  on  this,  the  other  firms 
promptly  demanded  that  the  Steinway  piano 


392         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

should  be  debarred  from  the  concerts  of  the 
Bureau  of  Music,  arguing — not  without  justice — 
that  a  firm  which  was  not  furthering  the  interests 
of  the  Fair  by  exhibiting  its  instruments  with  the 
trade  should  not  be  given  the  best  exhibition  of 
all,  by  having  its  instruments  played  in  the  music 
halls,  by  the  most  famous  artists.  Had  the  matter 
developed  earlier,  Thomas  would  have  been  willing 
to  make  this  concession,  in  the  matter  of  all  non- 
exhibiting  firms,  of  which  there  were  others  as  well 
as  the  Steinways,  for  he  felt  that  the  demand  of 
the  exhibiting  firms  was  not  unreasonable.  But 
long  before  the  trouble  had  come  to  a  head,  he 
had  sent  out  invitations  to  a  number  of  great 
foreign  artists,  in  the  name  of  the  Exposition, 
which  had  been  accepted,  and,  of  course,  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  either  withdraw  these  invi- 
tations, or  to  dictate  to  men  of  high  rank  in  the 
art  world,  who  were  honoring  the  Exposition  by 
their  presence,  what  instruments  they  should  play 
in  the  concerts.  He  therefore  refused  to  take 
any  action  which  would  involve  these  guests  of 
honor,  although  he  agreed  to  make  them  the  only 
exceptions  in  the  use  of  the  pianos  of  the  non- 
exhibiting  firms.  As  there  would  be  only  a  few 
concerts  in  which  these  guests  were  to  appear — 
not  more,  perhaps,  than  a  half  a  dozen  during  the 
entire  six  months  of  the  Fair — the  non-exhibiting 
firms  would  certainly  have  gained  a  very  moderate 
amount  of  gratuitous  advertising  by  having  their 
pianos  played  in  them.  But  the  exhibiting  firms 
would  not  make  even  this  small  concession,  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          393 

when  they  found  that  Thomas  was  obdurate  on 
this  point,  they  next  determined  to  get  him  re- 
moved from  his  office  of  Musical  Director,  and 
appealed  to  the  National  Commission  to  ask  for 
his  resignation,  charging  that  he  was  accepting  a 
bribe  from  the  firm  of  Steinway  &  Sons,  to 
exploit  their  instruments.  On  this,  the  Commis- 
sion promptly  appointed  a  committee  to  investi- 
gate the  charges  against  Thomas,  and  summoned 
him  to  appear  before  it  and  answer  the  same. 
If  all  this  had  not  been  so  insulting  it  would 
have  been  simply  amusing,  and  Thomas  himself 
thought  it  of  so  little  consequence  that  he  did  not 
take  the  trouble  to  disprove  these  ridiculous  accu- 
sations, but  simply  stated  that  they  were  untrue. 
The  Chicago  Tribune,  commenting  upon  the  inter- 
view between  Thomas  and  his  investigators, 
printed  the  following  editorial: 

THEODORE  THOMAS'  DEFENSE 

"  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  at  last  has  appeared  before  the 
committee  of  the  National  Commission  which  is  investi- 
gating gratuitously  and  unofficially  the  musical  contro- 
versy, and  has  made  his  statement,  though  not  bound  to 
do  so,  as  he  is  not  responsible  either  to  that  committee 
or  to  the  commission.  His  statement  was'  concise,  manly, 
and  straightforward  as  might  have  been  anticipated  by 
anyone  who  knows  his  character.  As  to  the  piano  dis- 
pute, Mr.  Thomas  said: 

"  '  If  you  will  believe  the  word  of  an  honest  man,  I  take 
no  more  consideration  for  the  firm  you  mention  than  I  do 
for  Jones  or  Smith.  It  is  my  wish  simply  to  have  the  best 


394,         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

instruments  possible  in  use  in  my  orchestra.  It  so  hap- 
pens that  this  firm  either  manufactures  or  controls  most 
of  the  instruments  which  please  me  best.  It  is  a  question 
of  art,  pure  and  simple.' 

"  The  committee  then  turned  its  attention  to  the  letter 
written  by  Mr.  Thomas'  harpist,  which  it  intended  should 
be  a  bombshell.  Before  the  committeeman  could  finish 
reading  it,  Mr.  Thomas  quietly  set  at  rest  the  slanderous 
accusation  that  he  was  responsible  by  declaring  that  he 
had  never  heard  of  the  letter  until  he  saw  it  in  the  papers, 
and  that  he  never  had  issued  an  order  forbidding  members 
of  his  orchestra  to  play  on  Lyon  and  Healy  harps.  Mr. 
Thomas  went  further  than  this,  and  settled  at  once  this 
silly  harp  business,  as  will  be  seen: 

"  *  Now  suppose  several  of  your  harpists  should  tell  you 
they  preferred  the  Lyon  and  Healy  harp  to  the  one  sold 
by  that  New  York  firm ;  what  would  you  do  about  that  ?  ' 

"  *  I  should  immediately  instruct  them  to  play  any  in- 
strument they  desired.  That  is  the  right  of  all  artists  and 
I  should  certainly  insist  on  its  being  observed  in  my 
orchestra.' 

"  Upon  the  subject  of  his  official  relations  to  the  Fair, 
Mr.  Thomas  frankly  and  concisely  said: 

"  *  When  I  took  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Music  for  the 
Exposition  company,  I  did  so  with  the  distinct  understand- 
ing that  I  was  to  run  the  affairs  of  the  bureau  after  my 
own  fashion,  without  interference  from  any  source.  I 
have  been  conducting  such  affairs  from  the  sole  stand- 
point of  art  and  I  shall  continue  so  to  do.' 

"  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  members  of  this  com- 
mittee, representing  Utah,  Kansas,  Arkansas,  Rhode 
Island,  Virginia,  and  Wyoming,  will  comprehend  or  ap- 
preciate what  Mr.  Thomas  means  by  conducting  the  affairs 
of  his  department  from  the  standpoint  of  art.  But  those 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          395 

who  do  know  something  of  these  '  affairs  '  will  sustain 
Mr.  Thomas  in  the  position  he  has  taken  and  will  protest 
against  this  attempt  to  humiliate  and  persecute  the  man 
who  has  done  more  than  any  other  for  the  cause  of  music 
in  the  United  States,  who  has  held  his  high  and  honorable 
position  for  forty  years  without  swerving  from  what  he 
believes  to  be  the  best  interests  of  his  art,  and  who  has 
labored  patiently  and  courageously  against  a  wilderness  of 
obstacles  and  at  great  private  sacrifice  to  maintain  his  high 
musical  standard.  In  this  long  career  no  mercenary  taint 
has  attached  to  him.  His  bitterest  enemies  cannot  point 
to  any  act  of  his  that  savors  of  self-seeking.  He  may 
have  made  mistakes,  that  is  human,  but  he  always  has 
had  a  lofty  ideal  of  his  art  and  little  patience  with  charla- 
tans. It  is  too  late  in  that  long  and  honorable  career  for 
even  members  of  the  National  Commission  from  the  great 
art  centers  of  Wyoming,  Virginia,  Utah,  Kansas,  and 
Arkansas  to  injure  his  fame." 

By  this  time  the  long  deferred  arrangements 
for  separating  the  Bureau  of  Music  from  the  De- 
partment of  Liberal  Arts  had  been  completed, 
and  Thomas  was  answerable  to  no  one  but  his 
own  committee,  which  consisted  of  a  number  of  the 
most  cultivated  art  lovers  in  Chicago,  all  of  whom 
were  his  personal  friends,  and  ready  to  indorse 
his  actions  to  the  letter.  The  National  Commis- 
sion was,  therefore,  powerless  to  remove  him 
so  long  as  the  Music  Committee  refused  to  co- 
operate in  the  matter.  But  it  did  not,  on  that 
account,  cease  its  endeavors  to  do  so,  and  erelong 
Thomas  received  the  following  letter  from  Direc- 
tor-General Davis,  demanding  his  resignation: 


396         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

CHICAGO,  May  17,  1893. 

ME.  THEODORE  THOMAS,  MUSICAL  DIRECTOR,  DE- 
PARTMENT OF  LIBERAL  ARTS,  WORLD'S  COLUM- 
BIAN EXPOSITION. 
Dear  Sir: 

In  compliance  with  a  resolution  adopted  this  day  by 
the  World's  Columbian  Commission,  I  have  to  request  your 
resignation  as  Musical  Director  in  the  Department  of 
Liberal  Arts. 

You  will  please  turn  over  all  property,  records,  and 
documents  belonging  to  and  appertaining  to  your  office, 
to  the  Chief  of  the  Department  of  Liberal  Arts. 
Respectfully  yours, 

GEORGE  R.  DAVIS,  Director-General. 

As,  however,  Thomas  was  now  no  longer  in 
the  Department  of  Liberal  Arts,  he  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  make  any  personal  reply  to  this 
entirely  gratuitous  request,  which  would  appear  to 
have  been  sent  in  the  hope  of  insulting  and  angering 
him  into  giving  up  the  office  on  his  own  initiative, 
since  it  was  not  backed  by  any  authority.  It 
would  certainly  have  succeeded  in  achieving  this 
result  had  Thomas  had  only  himself  to  consider, 
for  he  was  by  this  time  so  irritated  and  disgusted 
that  all  his  pleasure  in  the  work  had  been  spoiled, 
and  he  would  like  to  have  taken  "  French  leave  " 
of  Chicago  for  ever  and  a  day.  But  he  had  en- 
gaged 114  men  for  six  months  to  play  in  the 
Exposition  Orchestra,  and  he  did  not  dare  to  leave 
them  without  his  protecting  presence,  for  fear 
that  after  he  was  gone  the  National  Commission 
would  attack  the  orchestra  next,  and  the  musicians 
— many  of  whom  were  married  and  depended  on 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          397 

the  engagement  for  the  summer  maintenance  of 
their  families — would  be  left  unprovided  for.  So 
he  stood  firm  and  took  no  notice  of  the  besieging 
army  for  the  present. 

When  it  became  publicly  known  that  Thomas 
had  been  treated  in  the  foregoing  insulting  man- 
ner, the  entire  country  rose  in  a  perfect  geyser 
of  indignation,  and  the  press,  from  Maine  to  San 
Francisco,  was  almost  a  unit  in  its  denunciation  of 
the  action  of  the  National  Commission.  There 
were,  however,  two  of  the  leading  Chicago  papers 
which  indorsed  it,  and  they  did  their  best  to 
make  up  by  the  violence  of  their  attacks  on 
Thomas  for  the  partisanship  of  the  rest.  Every 
day  their  columns  were  filled  with  malicious 
accusations,  criticisms,  ridicule — anything  and 
everything  that  could  be  turned,  twisted,  or  in- 
vented to  cast  opprobrium  on  the  old  soldier, 
who  paid  no  more  attention  to  them  than  if  they 
had  been  a  couple  of  gad-flies  buzzing  around  his 
head,  but  quietly  continued  his  work,  nach  wie  vor, 
and  did  not  even  read  what  was  written  on  either 
side  of  the  question,  unless  someone  brought  him 
some  special  clipping  which  was  either  unusually 
good  or  bad,  with  a  personal  request  that  he  would 
do  so.  Amongst  the  former  was  one  from  Freund's 
Weekly,  one  of  the  leading  New  York  musical 
journals,  which  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  popular 
view  of  the  case,  and  read  as  follows: 

"  Theodore  Thomas  has  been  living  in  a  seething  volcano 
for  days,  yet  has  maintained  his  nerve,  strength,  and  de- 


398          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

termination,  and  his  decriers  have  been  unable  to  dislodge 
him  from  the  stand  he  has  taken.  Nor  will  he  be  driven 
out,  for  while  snarling  and  malediction  are  his  portion  just 
now,  he  is  ably  supported  by  the  Chicago  Directory  at  the 
Fair.  .  .  .  Those  who  know  him,  and  have  watched  his 
career,  will  have  noticed  his  possession  of  three  character- 
istics: absolute  honesty,  aggressive  independence,  and  de- 
termination to  serve  the  highest  musical  interests  of  this 
country.  His  honesty  cannot  be  impugned  or  assailed.  His 
independence  is  sometimes  overbearing  and  occasionally  al- 
most brutal  in  its  directness.  His  aim  in  life  is  to  render 
musical  composition  in  the  highest  manner.  .  .  .  The 
glorious  record  of  Theodore  Thomas  now  spans  many 
years.  It  is  marked  by  the  force,  power,  and  command 
which  come  from  undisputed  and  indisputable  fitness  and 
ability.  A  lifetime  spent  in  the  cause  of  music  in  its  high- 
est forms,  has  culminated  in  the  magnificent  position  he 
now  occupies.  In  elevating  him  to  it,  Chicago  elevated 
herself.  His  removal  would  be  her  eternal  disgrace,  and 
the  world  of  art  would  demand  to  know  who  was  responsi- 
ble for  the  insanity  which  could  drive  her  to  trying  to 
snatch  the  crown  from  her  head  and  fling  it  foolishly 
away.  Then  would  the  petty  rivalries  of  trade  be  proved 
to  reign  supreme  in  the  councils  of  an  exposition  which 
was  intended  to  be  a  beacon  to  the  world,  a  phase  of 
history  of  which  every  true  American  would  be  justly 
proud. 

"  But  such  a  deplorable  result  will  not  occur.  The  name 
of  the  great  conductor  of  his  times;  the  honest  unswerv- 
ing administrator;  the  unimpeachable  gentleman  and 
erudite  musician  will  remain  at  the  head  of  musical  art 
in  the  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893.  .  .  .  Undisturbed 
by  commercial  differences,  seeing  before  him  the  splendid 
goal  of  triumph, — criticised,  abused,  and  at  times  almost 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           399 

hounded,  he  has  shaken  off  the  fetters  of  the  ordinary 
bonds  which  encircle  a  man's  career,  and  in  his  record  at 
the  Columbian  Exposition  the  American  public  rests  as- 
sured that  the  greatest  and  truest  interests  of  the  noble 
art  of  music  are  under  the  guidance  of  a  master  mind. 
Freund's  Weekly,  as  an  independent  journal,  takes  pride 
in  paying  this  deserved  tribute  to  him." 

The  list  of  concerts  to  be  given  by  the  Bureau 
of  Music  during  May,  June,  and  July  had  been 
announced  early  in  April.  It  included,  beside  the 
daily  free  orchestral  and  band  concerts,  the 
following  special  performances,  for  which  an  ad- 
mission of  a  dollar  was  charged,  given  in  the  music 
hall  forming  the  northern  wing  of  the  famous 
peristyle  of  Corinthian  columns  between  the  Court 
of  Honor  and  the  Lake. 

MAY  2— INAUGURAL  CONCERT,  MUSIC  HALL 

Overture,  "  Consecration  of  the  House  " Beethoven 

Concerto  for  piano. ..  .. Paderewski 

I.  J.  Paderewski 

Symphony,  B  minor,  "  Unfinished  ".  .,.  .,.  ., Schubert 

Piano  solos — 

I.  J.  Paderewski 
Vorspiel,  "  Die  Meistersinger  "..,...  ...  ., Wagner 

MAY  3— ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT,  MUSIC  HALL 

Symphony,  "  Heroic  ".  .  . Beethoven 

Allegro  con  brio,  Marche  Funebre 

Concerto  for  piano Schumann 

I.  J.  Paderewski 


400          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Symphonic  variations Dvorak 

Piano  solo-  j    j    Paderewski 

Overture,  "  Romeo  and  Juliet  " Tschaikowsky 

[Note. — By  invitation  of  the  Musical  Director,  Mr. 
Paderewski  has  delayed  his  return  to  Europe  in  order  to 
participate  in  the  opening  concerts  of  the  Exposition.] 

MAY  5— ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT— MUSIC  HALL 

SCHUBERT    PROGRAMME 

Entr'acte  from  "  Rosamunde." 
Song,  Cyclus. 
Symphony  in  C  major. 

MAY  9— ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT— MUSIC  HALL 

BRAHMS    PROGRAMME 

Serenade,  op.  16. 

Song,  Cyclus. 

Symphony  No.  4  in  E  minor. 

MAY  12— ORCHESTRAL  CONCERT— MUSIC  HALL 

BEETHOVEN    PROGRAMME 

Overture,  "  Egmont  " — 

Triple  Concerto,  for  piano,  violin,*  and  'cello — 

Mrs.  Fanny  Bloomfield-Zeisler,  Max  Bendix,  and 

Bruno  Steindl 
Symphony  No.  5  in  C  minor. 

May  15 — Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  Music  Hall. 

May  16 — Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  Music  Hall. 

May  19 — New  York  Symphony  Orchestra,  Music  Hall. 

May  20 — New  York  Symphony  Orchestra,  Music  Hall. 

May  22 — Kneisel  String  Quartette,  Recital  Hall. 

May  22 — Inaugural  Concert,  Festival  Hall,  Wagner 
programme.  Selections  from  "  Tannhauser,"  "  Tristan  and 
Isolde,"  and  "  Die  Gotterdammerung."  Soloist,  Mme. 
Amalia  Materna. 


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MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          401 

May  23 — Kneisel  String  Quartette,  Recital  Hall. 

May  23 — Orchestral  concert,  Music  Hall. 

May  24 — Kneisel  String  Quartette,  Recital  Hall.  Men- 
delssohn's "  Eli j  ah,"  by  Chicago  Apollo  Club,  Festival 
Hall.  Soprano,  Mme.  Lillian  Nordica;  alto,  Mme.  Chris- 
tine Nielson  Dreier;  bass,  Mr.  Plunkett  Greene;  tenor, 
Mr.  Whitney  Mockridge. 

May  25 — Kneisel  String  Quartette,  Recital  Hall. 

[Note. — The  Kneisel  String  Quartette  programmes 
will  include  a  new  "  Sonata  Tragique,"  for  piano  and 
violin,  by  E.  A.  MacDowell,  and  a  quartette  for  piano  and 
strings  by  Arthur  Foote.  Pianists,  Mr.  MacDowell,  Mr. 
Foote.] 

May  25 — Haydn's  "  Creation,"  by  Chicago  Apollo 
Club,  Festival  Hall.  Soprano,  Mme.  Lillian  Nordica; 
bass,  Mr.  Plunkett  Greene;  tenor,  Mr.  C.  A.  Knorr. 

May  26 — Exposition  Children's  Chorus,  1,400  voices, 
Festival  Hall. 

May  26 — Orchestral  Concert,  Music  Hall.  Raff  pro- 
gramme. Programme  will  include  Concerto  for  Piano. 

May  27 — Wagner  Concert,  Festival  Hall.  Soloist, 
Mme.  Amalia  Materna. 

May  30 — Orchestral  Concert,  Music  Hall. 

June  2 — Symphony  Concert,  Music  Hall. 

June  3 — Concert  by  Children's  World's  Fair  Chorus. 

June  5,  6,  7,  8 — Concerts  by  Lineff  Russian  Choir. 

June  9 — Schumann  Programme,  Musical  Hall. 

June  10,  11,  12,  13 — Concerts  by  Lineff  Russian  Choir. 

June  12 — Max  Bendix's  String  Quartette,  Recital  Hall. 

June  13 — Max  Bendix's  String  Quartette,  Recital  Hall. 

June  14 — Handel's  "  The  Messiah,"  by  Chicago  Apollo 
Club,  Festival  Hall. 

June  15 — Bach's  "  St.  Matthew  Passion,"  by  Chicago 
Apollo  Club,  Festival  Hall. 


402          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

June  20 — Concert  by  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  Choral 
Associations ;  S.  A.  Baldwin,  conductor ;  Music  Hall. 

June  21,  22,  23 — Festival  by  first  section  of  representa- 
tive choral  societies  of  the  Western  States.  Three  con- 
certs in  Festival  Hall;  massed  chorus  of  1,500;  orchestra 
of  two  hundred ;  organ  and  eminent  soloists. 

June  24 — Performance  in  Music  Hall  of  Brahms'  "A 
German  Requiem,"  by  Cincinnati  Festival  Association 
Chorus;  conductor,  Theodore  Thomas. 

June  21,  22,  23,  24 — Session  of  representative  Women's 
Amateur  Musical.  Clubs  of  America,  Music  Hall. 

June  26 — Children's  World's  Fair  Chorus. 

June  27 — Concert  by  Arion  Society  of  Brooklyn,  N. 
Y. ;  Arthur  Claasen,  conductor ;  Music  Hall. 

June  28— Handel's  "  The  Messiah,"  by  Chicago  Apollo 
Club,  Festival  Hall. 

June  29 — Ballad  Concert  by  Edward  Lloyd  and 
orchestra. 

June  30 — The  Apollo  Club :  "  Stabat  Mater,"  Rossini ; 
"  Hymn  of  Praise,"  Mendelssohn. 

July  1 — German-American  Women's  Chorus. 

July  3 — Wagner  Programme. 

July  6 — American  Composers'  Programme. 

July  7 — American  Composers'  Programme. 

July  8 — Chicago  Columbian  Chorus. 

July  10 — Wagner  Programme. 

July  7,  8,  10 — Concerts  by  New  York  Liederkranz; 
conductor,  Heinrich  Zollner;  Music  Hall. 

July  11 — Concert  by  Cleveland  Vocal  Society;  con- 
ductor, Alfred  Arthur;  Music  Hall. 

July  12,  13,  14 — Festival  by  second  section  of  repre- 
sentative choral  societies  of  the  Western  States.  Three 
concerts  in  Festival  Hall;  massed  chorus  of  1,500;  or- 
chestra of  two  hundred ;  organ  and  eminent  soloists. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          403 

July  15— Children's  World's  Fair  Chorus. 

July  15 — Junger  Maennerchor  (Philadelphia). 

July  18 — Symphony  Concert. 

July  20,  21,  22 — Festival  by  American  Union  of 
Swedish  Societies. 

July  25 — Symphony  Concert. 

July  27,  28 — Festival  by  United  Scandinavian  So- 
cieties. 

August  1 — Symphony  Concert. 

August  2 — National  Union  Concert. 

August  4 — Scotland's  Day. 

August  8 — Symphony  Concert. 

August  12 — Bohemian  Day,  United  Bohemian  Singers. 

This  immense  list  of  concerts  was  performed 
exactly  as  advertised  with  the  exception  of  four  of 
the  massed  festival  performances  by  visiting  choral 
societies.  It  was  found  impracticable  to  get  them 
to  the  Fair  together;  they  were,  therefore,  heard 
in  separate  concerts  instead  of  in  combination,  as 
had  been  planned.  For  the  final  weeks  of  the 
Fair,  Thomas  had  arranged  the  following  per- 
formances : 

I.    A  series  of  Symphony  concerts,  to  include  several 
Wagner  programmes,  and  the  Ninth  Symphony, 
under  the  conductorship  of  Hans  Richter. 
II.    A  series  of  concerts  under  the  conductorship  of  Sir 
Alexander  Mackenzie  of  London,  including  a  per- 
formance of  his  Oratorio,  "  Bethlehem,"  with  Lil- 
lian Nordica  and  Ben  Davies  as  soloists. 
III.    A  three  weeks'  series  of  concerts  under  the  conduc- 
torship of  Saint  Saens,  including  his  best  choral 
and  orchestral  works. 


404         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

The  celebrated  musicians  who  were  to  have 
taken  part  in  the  closing  performances  of  the 
Bureau  of  Music  had,  like  those  who  had  ap- 
peared in  the  spring,  been  offered  no  financial 
remuneration  besides  their  expenses.  That  they 
should  have  been  willing  to  undertake  the  long 
and  fatiguing  journey  to  America  was  remark- 
able, and  the  following  letters  *  show  how  keenly 
interested  they  were  in  taking  part  in  the  work 
of  Thomas,  and  how  anxious  to  give  of  their  best 
to  the  American  audiences  gathered  at  Chicago : 

S.  GERMAIN,  September  25,  1892. 
My  dear  Colleague: 

All  that  you  do  is  well  done,  and  I  put  myself  entirely 
in  your  hands  as  to  my  programmes  in  Chicago.  I  am 
enchanted  that  they  will  be  short,  for  that  will  make  them 
so  much  less  fatiguing  for  me. 

If  there  will  not  be  the  means  for  theatrical  representa- 
tions, I  would  much  prefer  not  to  give  fragments  of 
"  Samson  et  Daltta."  I  only  like  to  give  in  concert  anti- 
theatrical  compositions;  for,  to  me,  the  concert  and  the 
theater  are  two  separate  worlds,  and  I  deplore  the  inva- 
sion of  the  concert  by  operatic  excerpts. 

I  should  think  that  it  would  be  preferable  to  finish, 
rather  than  to  begin,  the  concert  with  the  C-minor  Sym- 
phony, but  you  know  the  customs  of  the  American  public 
better  than  I,  and  I  leave  the  matter  to  your  judgment. 
It  is  true  that  if  we  can  finish  with  the  "  Hymn  to  Victor 
Hugo,"  the  programme  will  be  excellent  in  commencing 
with  the  symphony.  Between  the  two  numbers  I  will  play 
my  Concerto  in  G  minor,  or  the  "  African  Fantasie." 

*  Translated  from  the  original  French  and  German. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          405 

Once  more,  you  are  the  best  judge  of  everything,  and 
I  will  conform  entirely  to  your  advice. 

I  have  learned  that  you  have  performed  my  symphony 
in  America,  and  for  this  I  send  my  sincere  thanks. 

With  my  most  affectionate  compliments, 

CAMILLE  SAINT  SAENS. 


,  0.  BROOKLINE,  Oct.  29,  1892. 

Honored  Sir: 

First  accept  my  most  cordial  thanks  for  your  kind 
letter.  If  I  answer  it  in  German  it  is  for  the  reason  that 
I  am  not,  as  yet,  sufficiently  master  of  the  English  lan- 
guage to  give  in  it  expression  to  my  thanks  and  appreciation 
in  the  most  courteous  manner,  and  prefer  to  use  the  Ger- 
man, in  order  that  I  may  not  be  obliged  to  confine  myself 
to  conventional  phrases. 

Permit  me  then,  most  honored  Sir,  to  express  to  you, 
both  for  myself  and  on  behalf  of  the  Boston  Symphony 
Orchestra,  our  warmest  thanks  for  your  cordial  invita- 
tion to  Chicago,  and  your  kind  proffer  of  all  the  moral 
support  which  we  shall  need  there.  Be  assured  that  the 
genuine  hospitality  with  which  you  have  placed  all  your 
artistic  resources  at  our  disposal  will  be  appreciated  by 
us  in  the  most  grateful  manner.  I  have  sketched  the  pro- 
grammes of  both  concerts  on  the  inclosed  sheets,  but  will 
gladly  make  any  alterations  you  may  suggest. 

I  also  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  give  ex- 
pression to  my  pleasure  that  at  last  I  can  meet  you  per- 
sonally in  Chicago,  and  say  to  you  that  I  well  know  how 
deep  a  debt  musical  America  owes  to  you,  and  how  differ- 
ent the  musical  situation  would  be  in  this  country  but  for 
your  long  years  of  self-sacrificing  pioneer  art  work. 

Accept  my  respectful,  colleagial  (kollegialische)  greet- 
ing, with  which  I  remain 

Faithfully  yours, 

ARTHUR  NIKISCH. 


406          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

VIENNA,  January  16,  1893. 
Honored  Colleague  and  Friend: 

Your  letters  both  came  to  hand  at  a  time  when,  be- 
cause of  the  sudden  death  of  my  good  mother,  and  the 
dangerous  illness  of  my  wife,  I  was  too  distressed  to  give 
consideration  to  outside  affairs.  Now,  however,  my  wife 
is  better,  and  I  am  able  to  pull  myself  together  once  more. 

Your  invitation  to  conduct  at  the  Chicago  World's 
Fair  is  very  sympathetic  to  me,  and  I  shall  know  in  a 
short  time  if  I  can  accept  it.  In  order  not  to  keep  you 
waiting  for  the  mail,  I  will  cable  as  soon  as  I  receive 
leave  of  absence.  I  could  leave  London,  where  I  have 
to  conduct  six  concerts,  in  time  to  reach  Chicago  by  the 
20th.  One  day  would  be  sufficient  for  rehearsal.  In  re- 
gard to  the  programmes  we  shall  easily  agree.  I  will  only 
say  that  unless  you  have  made  other  arrangements  for 
it,  I  should  like  to  conduct  the  Ninth  Symphony  of 
Beethoven. 

I  certainly  hope  that  I  shall  receive  the  necessary  per- 
mission to  go.  But  as  I  would  have  to  return  by  the  first 
of  August — the  opera  does  not  begin  earlier — the  point 
in  question  would  be  whether  it  could  be  prepared  in  two 
or  three  weeks.  My  cable  will  probably  reach  you  about 
the  same  time  as  this  letter.  I  do  not  understand  what 
living  expenses  cost  in  America,  but  depend  on  you  that 
the  sum  which  you  have  named  is  sufficient  to  cover  all 
that  I  will  need  for  the  journey. 

My  answer  to  you  is  delayed  a  few  days  yet,  because  my 
employers  of  the  Royal  and  Imperial  Bureau  of  Censors 
are  at  present  occupied  with  the  marriage  festivities  at 
court. 

With  my  best  thanks  for  your  friendly  thought,  and 
my  colleagial  greetings, 

Faithfully  yours,  TT         „ 

J   J  HANS  RICHTEK. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          407 

This  brilliant  finale  was,  however,  not  destined 
to  take  place,  for  the  hostile  forces  had  triumphed 
before  its  time  came,  and  the  Bureau  of  Music 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  two  great  blighting 
agencies  of  this  world — jealousy  and  ignorance. 

Amongst  the  concerts  of  this  memorable  musical 
exhibit,  perhaps  none  were  more  interesting,  in 
certain  aspects,  than  the  short  orchestral  recitals 
given  at  the  noon  hour  every  day,  in  the  big 
Festival  Hall.  The  music  selected  for  these  con- 
certs was  of  the  so-called  "  Popular  "  kind.  There 
were  no  intermissions,  but  a  few  minutes'  pause 
was  made  between  each  piece  to  allow  people  to 
come  in  or  go  out,  as  they  were  not  allowed  to 
do  either  while  the  music  was  going  on.  The 
audiences  at  these  concerts  were  a  study,  for  they 
contained  every  class  and  variety  of  human  being. 
Some  would  come  for  the  entire  programme,  others 
for  a  few  numbers,  and  still  others  drifted  in  from 
curiosity,  and  left  after  one  piece.  But  just  as 
many  came  in  as  went  out  after  each  number,  so 
there  was  always  a  good  audience  in  attendance 
from  first  to  last.  Thomas  conducted  these  con- 
certs personally,  as  well  as  most  of  the  others,  for 
it  was  a  little  matter  of  pride  with  him  that  the 
poorest  laborer  who  strolled  in  once  from  curiosity 
to  hear  what  an  orchestra  sounded  like,  should 
hear  the  best  that  could  be  given  that  time,  if  he 
never  heard  it  again.  In  after  years  we  some- 
times came  across  workingmen,  in  distant  places, 
to  whom  this  single  orchestral  experience  was  a 
glorified  memory  for  life,  and  who  expressed  their 


408         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

appreciation  very  touchingly.  One  would  often 
hear  amusing  comments  made  by  such  listeners,  in 
the  intervals  of  the  pieces.  Once,  two  of  them 
seated  behind  me  at  one  of  these  free  concerts 
noticed  on  the  programme  an  announcement  of  a 
'  Wagner  Programme  "  to  be  given  the  coming 
week,  for  which  an  admission  was  charged.  "  I 
thought  Thomas  was  the  biggest  music-man  they 
was,"  exclaimed  one  of  them  in  a  disappointed 
tone.  "  He  is,"  replied  the  companion  reassur- 
ingly. "  Waal,  then,"  said  the  first,  "  I  don't  see 
why  he  don't  get  nothing  for  his  concerts  when 
this  here  Waggner  man  gets  a  dollar  for  his'n!" 
On  another  day  a  Chicago  woman  behind  me  ap- 
peared to  have  brought  with  her  a  friend  from 
San  Francisco.  She  was  evidently  very  proud  of 
the  Chicago  Orchestra,  and  desired  to  have  her 
friend  duly  impressed.  As  they  sat  down,  the 
man  remarked,  "  The  last  time  I,  saw  Theodore 
Thomas  was  a  good  many  years  ago,  and  he  was 
playing  '  End-Man '  in  a  nigger  minstrel  troupe 
in  San  Francisco."  The  woman  indignantly  re- 
pudiated this  dreadful  suggestion,  but  her  pro- 
tests were  of  no  avail,  and  only  elicited  from  her 
companion  the  calm  reiteration,  "  Why,  I  seen 
him  myself,  many  a  time."  Nor  could  she  pur- 
suade  her  obstinate  guest  that  what  he  had  seen 
was  a  burlesque  representation,  and  the  real  man 
had  never  been  in  San  Francisco  except  as  the 
conductor  of  great  festival  or  operatic  perform- 
ances. The  argument  waxed  so  fierce  between  the 
two  that  I  very  nearly  turned  around  to  settle 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          409 

it  in  her  favor,  but  the  music  began,  and  by  the 
time  the  next  pause  came,  I  had  forgotten  all 
about  it. 

The  attendance  at  the  Fair  during  the  spring 
and  summer  months  was  a  great  disappointment 
to  its  promoters,  and  by  the  time  the  first  of 
August  came  it  had  fallen  off  so  much  that  it  was 
feared  the  whole  concern  would  become  bankrupt. 
In  this  emergency  it  became  necessary  to  curtail 
all  possible  expenses,  and  the  opponents  of  the 
Bureau  of  Music  were  not  slow  to  point  out  that 
that  foolish  piece  of  extravagance  ought  now  to  be 
done  away  with.  The  Chicago  Directors,  who 
had  upheld  it  all  along,  in  spite  of  the  attacks  of 
the  National  Commission,  were  now  unable  to  get 
the  money  to  pay  its  expenses,  and  Thomas  con- 
cluded that  there  was  no  use  in  continuing  the 
fight  any  longer.  He,  therefore,  addressed  the 
orchestra  as  follows: 

"  Gentlemen: 

"  If  when  I  engaged  you  to  play  here  this  summer  I 
had  offered  you  a  four  months'  contract,  instead  of  one 
for  six  months,  you  would  all  have  accepted  it,  would  you 
not?"  The  answer  was  in  the  affirmative,  and  Thomas 
continued :  "  Very  well,  then,  you  have  now  had  nearly 
three  months  and  a  half.  The  Fair  is  hovering  on  the 
verge  of  bankruptcy  and  I  doubt  very  much  if  I  can  even 
get  the  arrears  of  salary  already  owing  to  you,  nor  do 
I  think  there  is  any  likelihood  that  the  Exposition  Com- 
pany will  be  able  to  maintain  the  Bureau  of  Music  for 
the  full  term  of  your  contract.  I  would  advise  you  there- 
fore to  take  the  following  course,  and  authorize  me  to 


410          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

say  to  the  Directors  that  if  they  will  continue  your  en- 
gagement till  the  first  of  September  and  pay  your  salaries 
in  full  to  that  date,  you  will  cancel  the  two  remaining 
months  of  your  contracts.  We  have  very  loyal  friends 
on  the  Board,  and  I  think  they  will  be  glad  to  do  this 
for  us.  But  if  you  stand  out  for  the  fulfilment  of  the 
whole  term  of  your  contracts,  I  think  it  will  result  in  your 
losing  not  only  the  last  two  months  but  also  that  part  of 
your  salaries  which  is  already  in  arrears." 

At  first  the  men  were  inclined  to  hearken  to  this 
wise  counsel,  but  a  few  malcontents  stirred  up  a 
spirit  of  dissatisfaction,  and  they  refused  to  make 
any  concession  at  all.  Under  these  circumstances 
Thomas  felt  released  from  all  obligation  to  remain 
with  the  orchestra,  and  gladly  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity to  leave,  for  it  is  not  pleasant  for  any  man 
to  have  his  character,  his  motives,  his  work,  and  his 
honor  assailed  daily  in  the  public  press,  nor  to 
hold  doggedly  to  a  position  in  an  institution  one- 
half  of  the  governing  body  of  which  is  using  every 
lever  to  effect  his  removal.  It  was  only  his  feeling 
of  duty  towards  the  orchestra  which  had  kept  him 
there  so  long,  but  now  that  he  was  freed  from 
that,  he  lost  no  time  in  sending  in  his  resignation 
in  the  following  letter: 

CHICAGO,  August  12,  1893. 

JAMES   W.    ELLSWORTH,    Esa.,    CHAIRMAN    OP    THE 
COMMITTEE  ON  Music,  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN 
EXPOSITION. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  discouraging  business  situation,  which  must  of  ne- 
cessity react  on  the  finances  of  the  Fair  and  which  makes 
a  reduction  of  expenses  of  vital  importance  to  its  inter- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          411 

ests,  prompts  me  to  make  the  following  suggestions  by 
which  the  expenses  of  the  Bureau  of  Music  may  be 
lessened : 

The  original  plans  of  the  Bureau,  as  you  know,  were 
made  with  the  design  of  giving  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  world  a  complete  and  perfect  exhibition  of 
musical  art  in  all  its  branches.  Arrangements  were  made 
for  regular  free  orchestral  and  band  concerts;  for  festi- 
vals and  choral  concerts ;  for  performances  of  both  Euro- 
pean and  American  master-works  of  the  present  day  under 
the  direction  of  their  composers;  for  concerts  by  distin- 
guished artists  and  organizations  of  all  nationalities;  for 
chamber  concerts  and  artists'  recitals;  for  concerts  by 
children,  etc.,  etc. ;  besides  a  general  review  of  the  or- 
chestral literature  of  all  times  and  countries  in  symphony 
and  popular  concerts  throughout  the  season. 

The  reduction  of  the  expenses  of  the  Fair  has  obliged 
the  Bureau  to  cancel  all  future  engagements  with  foreign 
artists  and  organizations,  and  to  abandon  all  future  festi- 
val performances,  thus  leaving  very  little  of  the  original 
scheme  except  the  bands  and  the  great  Exposition  orches- 
tra, with  which  are  given  every  day  symphony  and  popular 
concerts.  My  suggestion  is,  therefore,  that  since  so  large 
a  portion  of  the  Bureau's  musical  scheme  has  been  cut 
away,  that  for  the  remainder  of  the  Fair  music  shall  not 
figure  as  an  art  at  all,  but  be  treated  merely  on  the  basis 
of  an  amusement.  More  of  this  class  of  music  is  undoubt- 
edly needed  at  the  Fair,  and  the  cheapest  way  to  get  it 
is  to  divide  our  two  fine  bands  into  four  small  ones  for 
open-air  concerts,  and  our  Exposition  orchestra  into  two 
small  orchestras,  which  can  play  such  light  selections  as 
will  please  the  shifting  crowds  in  the  buildings  and  amuse 
them. 

If  this  plan  is  followed,  there  will  be  no  further  need  of 
the  services  of  the  Musical  Director,  and  in  order  that 


412          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

your  committee  may  be  perfectly  free  to  act  in  accord- 
ance with  the  foregoing  suggestions,  and  reduce  the  ex- 
penses of  the  musical  department  to  their  lowest  terms,  I 
herewith  respectfully  tender  my  resignation  as  Musical 
Director  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

Should,  however,  any  plans  suggest  themselves  to  you 
in  furthering  which  I  can  be  of  assistance,  I  will  gladly 
give  you  my  services  without  remuneration. 
Very  respectfully, 

THEODORE  THOMAS,  Musical  Director. 

In  view  of  the  desperate  financial  situation,  the 
Directors  were  obliged  to  accept  the  resignation  of 
Thomas,  which  they  never  would  have  done  for 
any  other  reason,  for  they  felt  as  strongly  in 
regard  to  the  musical  exhibit  as  he  did,  and  were 
equally  anxious  that  it  should  be  completed  on 
the  original  lines.  Their  attitude  in  the  matter 
was  very  beautifully  defined  by  Mr.  James  W. 
Ellsworth,  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Music,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  W.  K.  Ackerman, 
Auditor,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  follow- 
ing financial  statement  of  the  total  cost  of  the 
music  to  the  Exposition  Company: 

FINANCIAL  STATEMENT   OF  THE 
BUREAU  OF  MUSIC 

OF  THE 

WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 

Total  cost  of  orchestras  and  soloists.  ......   $149,601.39 

Less  admission  receipts. .1 .        57,406.25 

Net  loss  on  the  above  musical  features.  . .  $  92,195.14 
Bands $128,737.35 

Total  cost  of  music  to  Exposition. ., ,  $220,932.49 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         413 

CHICAGO,  Oct.  10,  1893. 
My  dear  Mr.  Ackerman: 

I  thank  you  very  much  for  yours  of  the  7th  instant  in- 
closing statement  of  disbursements  and  receipts  in  con- 
nection with  the  Bureau  of  Music. 

The  Directory  does  not  consider,  however,  that  there 
has  been  any  "  net  loss  "  in  the  musical  features,  the  idea 
being,  in  the  inception,  that  the  Thomas  orchestra  and 
musical  features  in  connection  therewith  were  for  the  pur- 
pose of  the  exemplification  of  music  as  an  art.  In  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  the  Exposition  which  is  to  be 
handed  down  as  the  result  of  the  work  we  are  passing 
through,  the  result  will  justify  more  than  the  dollars  and 
cents  figure  in  connection  therewith  during  the  giving  of 
the  same.  I  hope  those  who  disagree  with  this  view  of  the 
matter  now  will  ultimately  acquiesce  in  its  importance.  It 
is  the  future  as  well  as  the  present  that  I,  for  one,  have 
always  had  in  mind,  as  have  also  a  number  of  our  Di- 
rectory, and  I  am  thankful  indeed  that  during  a  period  of 
three  and  a  half  months,  at  least,  music  received  the  rec- 
ognition that  it  more  than  deserved  in  connection  with  this 
great  work  which  is  about  to  close,  and  which  will  be 
acknowledged  by  all  nations  as  the  creation  of  a  new 
period. 

*•         ^  ^  JAMES  W.  ELLSWORTH. 

When  it  is  remembered  that,  in  addition  to  the 
operating  expenses  of  $220,932.49  enumerated  in 
the  foregoing  statement,  the  Exposition  had  spent 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars  on  the  erection 
of  buildings  for  the  Bureau  of  Music,  it  seems 
incredible  that  even  the  National  Commission 
should  have  been  guilty  of  the  monumental  stu- 
pidity of  destroying  what  was,  after  its  architec- 


414          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ture,  the  most  unique  and  absolutely  unprece- 
dented exhibit  of  the  entire  Fair,  especially  as 
nothing  was  saved  thereby  but  a  couple  of  months' 
salaries  for  the  musicians  of  the  orchestra. 

The  short-sighted  folly  of  the  whole  proceeding 
was  soon  demonstrated,  for  hardly  had  Thomas 
reached  his  home  at  Fairhaven  than  the  financial 
tide  of  the  Exposition  turned,  and  the  people 
began  to  flock  to  it  by  the  hundred  thousand,  and 
with  them  money  flowed  into  the  treasury  in  such 
Pactolian  streams  that  not  only  was  past  indebted- 
ness made  good,  but  after  the  Fair  closed  the  bal- 
ance sheet  of  its  final  report  showed  a  surplus  of 
a  million  dollars,  if  I  am  correctly  informed. 
Unfortunately,  the  Bureau  of  Music  was  now 
destroyed  past  all  recall,  but  nevertheless,  the  first 
act  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  to  send  an 
urgent  request  to  Thomas  to  return  and  continue 
the  musical  exhibit  in  another  form,  offering  him 
a  concession  in  the  shape  of  the  Festival  Hall  in 
which  to  give  daily  orchestral  concerts  on  a  per- 
centage of  the  admission  fees. 

The  Exposition  Orchestra,  which  was  not  yet 
disbanded,  had  agreed  to  accept  this  engagement, 
in  place  of  the  two  unexpired  months  of  their 
contract,  and  they,  too,  sent  to  Thomas  a  telegram 
begging  him  to  return.  But  Thomas  had  had 
enough  of  the  World's  Fair.  His  splendid  scheme 
had  been  ruined,  and  all  possibilities  of  great  art 
work  had  vanished  with  it.  He  was  worn  out 
physically  and  mentally,  and  did  not  care  to  return 
and  conduct  popular  concerts  for  the  amusement 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          415 

of  the  crowd.  Nor  did  he  think  that  such  a  series 
of  concerts  would  provide  the  salaries  of  the  or- 
chestra. In  reply  to  their  telegram,  therefore,  he 
wrote  the  following  letter,  which  explained  his 
position  in  the  matter: 

FAIEHAVEN,  MASS.,  August  22,  1893. 
To    HENRY    SACHUEBEN,    MAX    BENDIX,    AND    THE 
OTHER   MEMBERS    OF    THE   EXPOSITION    OR- 
CHESTRA. 

Gentlemen: 

Your  telegram  I  received  this  morning,  and  in  answer 
to  your  request  asking  me  to  return  and  conduct  the 
concerts  of  the  Exposition,  I  have  to  say  the  following: 

I  do  not  ask  for  any  thanks  from  you  for  looking  after 
your  interests  as  I  have  done  this  summer,  but  the  utter 
lack  of  understanding  of  the  trying  position  in  which  I 
have  been  placed  for  nearly  four  months,  prompts  me  to 
say  that  if  the  members  of  the  orchestra  had  been  willing 
to  make  any  concessions  two  weeks  ago  when  I  requested 
them  to  do  so,  I  might  still  have  been  with  them  at  the 
present  moment. 

When  I  was  asked  to  resign  the  position  of  Musical 
Director  last  May,  I  did  not  do  so  because  the  orchestra 
needed  my  protection.  In  August  when  the  financial  crisis 
came,  and  I  found  that  I  could  not  protect  the  orchestra 
any  more,  and  that  the  members  were  not  willing  to  listen 
to  any  compromise,  I  resigned  my  position,  and  the  Di- 
rectors of  the  Exposition  felt  that  they  must  accept  my 
resignation.  Now  you  must  not  blame  me  if  I  do  not  care 
to  make  a  third  attempt  to  continue  as  conductor  of  the 
Exposition  orchestra,  nor  do  I  believe  that  arrangements 
to  play  on  a  percentage  would  be  satisfactory  to  the  or- 
chestra, even  with  me  as  conductor.  ...  I  intend  to 
return  to  Chicago  in  November,  to  carry  out  the  re- 


416          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

mainder  of  my  contract  with  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Asso- 
ciation, when  I  hope  to  meet  you  all  again. 

With  love  to  you  all,  and  best  wishes  for  your  pros- 
perity, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Thus  ended  Thomas'  connection  with  the 
World's  Fair  Columbian  Exposition.  As  had 
often  happened  before,  his  plans  were  too  large, 
and  too  far  in  advance  of  the  people,  to  be  under- 
stood or  appreciated,  except  by  the  cultured  few, 
and  were,  in  consequence,  foredoomed  to  failure. 
Had  he  been  a  younger  man,  or  had  he  not  so 
recently  gone  through  a  similar  experience  in  the 
American  Opera  and  its  disastrous  subsequent 
years,  he  would  not  have  felt  the  World's  Fair 
fiasco  so  much.  But  he  was  growing  old  now,  and 
the  many  hardships  and  disappointments  of  life 
had  left  their  mark,  and  taken  away  from  him  the 
buoyant,  indomitable  spirit  with  which  he  had 
hitherto  faced  the  world.  During  the  early  spring 
also,  the  damp  walls  of  the  newly-erected  build- 
ings in  which  he  worked  gave  him  a  severe  attack 
of  bronchitis,  which  threatened  to  become  pneu- 
monia for  a  few  days.  Unfortunately  this  illness 
came  just  at  the  time  of  the  first  of  the  Festival 
performances,  and  long  before  he  was  fit  for  work 
he  insisted  upon  leaving  his  sick  bed  and  going  to 
the  Fair  to  conduct  a  heavy  Wagner  programme 
and  attending  to  all  his  other  duties.  The  result 
of  this  was  that  the  disease  fastened  itself  upon 
him  permanently,  in  the  form  of  a  chronic  catarrh 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS         417 

of  the  throat,  nose,  and  bronchial  tubes,  extending 
even  to  the  Eustachian  tubes  of  the  ears,  and 
threatening  him  with  deafness.  This,  and  the 
nervous  strain  of  withstanding  the  siege  to  which 
he  was  subjected  all  summer,  so  wrought  upon  his 
physical  and  mental  condition  that  he  was  never 
afterwards  the  man  he  had  been  before.  His  cour- 
age was  gone,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  he  would 
drop  into  despondency  and  be  ready  to  give  up 
at  any  little  untoward  happening,  and  I  found 
it  constantly  necessary  to  buoy  him  up  to  renewed 
effort.  "Do  you  want  to  kill  me  with  work? " 
he  sometimes  said.  But  I  knew  that  in  work  lay 
his  only  hope  of  life.  He  was  not  one  who  could 
long  have  endured  an  idle  existence. 

Disappointing  as  the  summer  had  been,  the 
connection  of  Thomas  with  the  World's  Fair  had 
not  been  without  some  compensating  features.  In 
the  first  place,  the  daily  concerts  and  rehearsals  of 
the  orchestra  had  brought  it  up  to  the  very  highest 
point  of  artistic  proficiency,  and  given  it  an  enor- 
mous repertoire  of  music,  so  that  Thomas  felt  he 
now  had  an  almost  perfect  instrument  for  the  con- 
certs of  the  coming  winter,  and  that  he  would  be 
ready  for  any  emergency.  This  was  a  great  relief 
to  his  mind,  for  he  had  found  it  very  difficult  to 
equalize  the  two  sections  of  the  orchestra  so  long  as 
the  local,  or  "  extra,"  men  had  such  a  small 
repertoire,  but  now  the  summer's  work  had 
brought  them  up  to  an  equal  proficiency  with  the 
"  regular "  men,  and  he  had  only  to  keep  them 
there. 


418          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Another  pleasant  feature  of  the  Fair  was  that 
during  its  preliminary  work  Thomas  had  been 
brought  into  close  contact  with  the  most  eminent 
men  of  other  arts  than  his  own.  He  was  intel- 
lectually a  very  lonely  man.  His  knowledge  of 
the  musical  art  was  so  far  in  advance  of  that  of 
most  of  the  members  of  his  profession  that  nearly 
all  musicians  approached  him  as  a  master — indeed 
European  musicians  often  called  him  "  Meister" 
or  "Maestro"  Now  and  then  he  would  meet 
someone  of  his  profession  with  whom  he  could 
talk  on  equal  terms,  and  from  whom  he  could 
gain  new  ideas  and  fresh  suggestions,  such  as 
Liszt,  Paderewski,  Joachim,  or  von  Buelow;  but 
these  people  rarely  crossed  his  path,  and  as  a 
general  rule  he  lived  intellectually  alone  in  a 
world  of  his  own  creating.  It  was,  therefore,  very 
inspiring  to  him  to  come  into  daily  association 
with  Burnham  and  his  colleagues,  and  the  friend- 
ship then  started  with  the  former  was  one  of  the 
great  pleasures  of  his  last  years.  Amongst  the 
many  letters  received  from  famous  musicians 
during  the  World's  Fair,  I  have  selected 
three  from  those  who  were  unable  to  accept  the 
invitation  of  Thomas  to  take  part  in  the  concerts 
of  the  Fair  as  being  of  especial  interest :  * 

MOSKOW,  May  5,  1892. 
Highly  honored  Herr  Thomas: 

I  have  received  your  invitation  to  be  on  the  Committee 
of  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago.  I  thank  you  for  this  and 

*  Translated  from  the  German  and  French. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          419 

am  flattered  and  proud,  but  I  hardly  think  that  it  is  pos- 
sible to  accept.  I  cannot  go  without  remuneration,  it  is 
too  far,  and  they  would  wish  to  hear  only  my  best  works. 
At  the  same  time  I  thank  you  heartily. 

I  long  to  say  many  things  to  you — but  it  is  difficult  for 
me  to  write  German.  I  know  how  much  you  have  done  for 
me  and  for  my  compositions  in  America,  and  I  beg  of  you, 
dear  and  beloved  sir  and  friend,  not  to  doubt  that  I  am 
truly  grateful. 

Sincerely  yours, 

P.    TSCHAIKOWSKY. 


PARIS,  October,  1892. 

To  THE  DIRECTOR-GENERAL,  WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN 
EXPOSITION,  CHICAGO. 

Dear  Sir: 

It  is  real  courage  on  my  part  that  has  at  last  enabled 
me  to  write  to  you  that  I  do  not  dare  to  promise  posi- 
tively to  accept  your  flattering  invitation  to  appear  in 
the  concerts  of  the  Bureau  of  Music  at  the  Chicago 
World's  Fair  next  summer.  And  yet  I  expected  to  send 
you  an  immediate  and  affirmative  reply.  But  I  fear  to 
thus  make  an  engagement  for  a  fixed  date,  for  I  would 
not  dare  to  break  my  word,  and  yet  from  the  moment 
I  gave  it  to  you  it  would  be  a  source  of  constant  anxiety 
to  me. 

You  may  rest  assured,  dear  Sir,  of  my  gratitude  for  the 
kind  words  in  which  your  invitation  is  addressed  to  me,  and 
my  deep  appreciation  as  well  as  my  sincere  regret.  Ac- 
cept the  assurance  of  my  highest  consideration,  and  kindly 
give  to  the  great  Maestro  Theodore  Thomas  my  expres- 
sions of  homage. 

JULES  MASSENET. 


420          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ME.  THEODORE  THOMAS.  *  IsCHIL'  SePL  l>  1892' 

Highly  honored  Sir: 

In  reply  to  letters  written  on  your  behalf  from  your 
office,  allow  me  to  repeat  to  you  personally  what  I  have 
already  explained  to  your  representative. 

First  of  all  that  I  esteem  very  deeply  and  gratefully 
the  honor  of  your  invitation  to  take  part  in  the  presenta- 
tion of  my  works  at  the  Chicago  Exposition  of  1893. 
Next  the  frank  statement  that  I  cannot  make  up  my  mind 
to  accept  it.  I  do  not  need  to  tell  you  in  detail  in  how 
many  ways  it  tempts  me ;  but  it  would  be  inconsiderate  for 
me  to  accept,  for  at  the  last  moment  I  know  that  resolu- 
tion would  fail  me  and  I  should  ask  to  be  released  from  my 
promise.  Kindly  excuse,  then,  the  old-country  man  who 
cannot  undertake  the  long  voyage  so  lightly  as  you  do, 
and  turn  over  to  another  of  our  colleagues  the  honor  and 
pleasure  of  representing  German  music  at  the  Exposition. 
With  distinguished  respect, 

JOHANNES  BRAHMS. 

x. 

Brahms  must  have  been  a  very  reserved  and 
undemonstrative  man,  for  he  was  almost  the  only 
contemporary  musician  from  whom  there  is  no 
expression  of  personal  gratitude  to  be  found  in 
the  letter  files  of  Thomas,  and  yet  there  was  no 
composer  of  any  nationality  for  whose  music 
Thomas  did  so  much  in  this  country,  for  he  played 
the  Brahms  symphonies  directly  against  the  popu- 
lar will  every  year  of  his  life,  until  the  public 
grew  to  understand  and  appreciate  them  in  spite 
of  themselves.  Something,  however,  even  this 
strange  man  must  have  felt,  for  when  Thomas 

*  Translated  from  the  German. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          421 

met  him  at  supper  on  one  of  his  European  trips, 
a  characteristic  incident  took  place.  Someone  at 
the  table  reminded  Brahms  of  the  promise  of  a 
photograph.  Immediately  a  second  guest  added 
his  request  for  one.  Thomas  said  nothing,  but 
Brahms,  turning  to  him,  remarked,  "  I  will  send 
one  also  to  you,  Herr  Thomas."  The  next  day 
the  three  photographs  were  sent,  and  on  comparing 
them  at  a  subsequent  meeting  from  which  Brahms 
was  absent,  the  recipients  found  that  he  had  writ- 
ten on  the  first,  "  Promised " ;  on  the  second, 
"  Asked  for  ";  but  on  that  of  Thomas,  "  Offered." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

1893-1896 

A  HARD   WINTER   FOR  THE  ASSOCIATION THOMAS   RECEIVES 

AN  OFFER  OF  THE  CONDUCTORSHIP  OF  THE  BOSTON 
SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA  (1893) THE  ELEVENTH  CIN- 
CINNATI FESTIVAL THOMAS  OFFERED  THE  CONDUCTOR- 
SHIP  OF  A  NEW  SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA  IN  NEW  YORK 

(1894) A    HARD    CONCERT    TOUR A    SECOND    CALL,    TO 

BOSTON     (1895) A    EUROPEAN    PLEASURE    TRIP FIRST 

ENGAGEMENT     OF     THE     CHICAGO     ORCHESTRA     IN     NEW 

YORK THOMAS      BUILDS      A      COTTAGE      IN      THE      WHITE 

MOUNTAINS A  LETTER  FROM  CHARPENTIER A  TRIB- 
UTE FROM  PADEREWSKI A  PRESENTATION  FROM  NEW 

YORK  MUSICIANS  AND  FRIENDS 

THE  third  year  of  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Asso- 
ciation had  now  arrived,  but  nothing  could  have 
been  more  discouraging  than  its  financial  outlook 
in  the  fall  of  1893.  The  World's  Fair  had  drained 
Chicago  of  its  surplus  funds,  a  severe  financial 
panic  was  upon  the  country  at  large,  and  the 
winter  was  one  of  unusual  severity.  Chicago  was 
full  of  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  of  humanity,  left 
by  the  receding  tide  of  the  Exposition — people  of 
every  grade  who  had  come  there  attracted  by  the 
hope  of  working,  begging,  or  stealing  during  its 
continuance,  and  who  were  now  stranded  to  be  a 
burden  upon  the  community.  No  one  had  any 
extra  money,  or  if  he  had,  the  first  necessity  which 

422 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          423 

claimed  it  was  the  relief  of  these  starving  and 
freezing  people,  rather  than  the  promoting  of 
symphonic  music.  The  financial  results  of  the 
second  year  of  the  Association  had  been  so  un- 
satisfactory, and  the  deficit  so  large,  that  Thomas 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  its  third  must 
inevitably  be  the  last. 

It  was  just  at  this  time  that  Thomas  received 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Henry  L.  Higginson  of  Boston, 
offering  him  the  conductorship  of  the  Boston 
Symphony  Orchestra.  This  was  the  one  position 
that  he  had  longed  for  for  years,  and  which  ex- 
actly suited  his  needs.  Boston  was  a  cultivated 
city,  and  its  orchestra  one  of  the  best.  There  no 
missionary  work  was  needed,  but  on  the  contrary, 
the  first  law  of  its  being  was  "  A  symphony  on 
every  programme."  It  was  near  his  country 
home  and  the  homes  of  his  children,  its  climate 
was  less  severe  than  that  of  Chicago,  and  life 
there,  as  in  all  old  cities,  was  quiet,  restful,  and 
well  ordered.  Its  orchestra  travelled  only  over 
his  own  old  Eastern  "  Highway,"  where  railroads 
and  hotels  were  comfortable,  and  distances  short, 
and  gave  concerts  only  in  the  large  cities  where 
he  best  liked  to  conduct.  His  experiences  at  the 
World's  Fair  had  bitten  deeply,  and  his  health 
was  seriously  affected  by  the  cold,  damp  winds 
of  Lake  Michigan,  which  not  only  prevented  him 
from  getting  rid  of  the  bronchial  catarrh  con- 
tracted at  the  Fair,  but  brought  back  in  an 
aggravated  form  the  rheumatism  in  his  conducting 
arm  which  had  troubled  him  so  much  in  New 


424          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

York.  For  every  reason,  therefore,  he  wanted  to 
go,  especially  as  he  believed  that  in  leaving  he 
would  antedate  the  natural  end  of  the  Chicago 
Orchestra  by  only  a  single  season. 

But  when  he  thought  of  his  Chicago  friends,  of 
the  large  sums  of  money  they  had  already  given, 
the  hard  work  they  had  done,  their  earnest  desire 
to  create  a  truly  great  musical  institution,  and,  last 
but  not  least,  the  fact  that  they  had  come  to  his 
rescue  and  given  him  the  means  to  restore  his  art, 
when  his  career  had  seemed  ruined  beyond  all 
hope  of  recovery,  he  knew  that  now  he  could  not 
honorably  leave  them  until  the  Chicago  Orchestra 
was  either  permanently  established  or  abandoned. 
His  reply  to  Mr.  Higginson  was,  therefore,  in 
the  negative. 

The  season  of  1893  needs  little  comment.  The 
orchestra  was  in  splendid  condition,  and  the  busi- 
ness routine  was  beginning  to  be  better  under- 
stood by  the  trustees.  By  careful  pruning  of 
expenses  they  managed  to  reduce  the  deficit  to  a 
little  below  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  provided  by 
the  guarantee  fund.  Nevertheless  the  box  office 
receipts  for  the  Chicago  concerts  were  less  by  five 
thousand  dollars  than  during  the  previous  year. 
But  in  spite  of  this  discouraging  outlook,  the 
trustees  did  not  falter  in  their  devotion  to  the 
cause,  but  only  worked  the  harder  to  raise  a  new 
guarantee  fund  for  the  ensuing  year.  After  this 
Thomas  never  had  another  written  contract  with 
the  Chicago  Orchestral  Association.  It  was  taken 
for  granted  that  he  would  go  on  as  long  as  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          425 

trustees  were  able  to  raise  the  necessary  funds  for 
the  orchestra,  and  each  year,  sometime  between 
April  and  July,  he  would  be  notified  informally  of 
its  continuance.  It  was  the  same  with  the  Cin- 
cinnati Festival  Association,  and  with  all  the  other 
boards  with  which  he  worked  for  any  length  of 
time.  He  used  to  say  with  satisfaction,  "  No  one 
asks  me  for  a  contract  who  knows  me.  I  never 
broke  my  word  in  my  life." 

This  informal  way  of  doing  business  was,  how- 
ever, often  a  source  of  trouble  to  him,  for,  if  he 
gave  no  contracts,  neither  did  he  ask  for  any,  and 
the  result  was  that  he  never  knew  with  any  cer- 
tainty just  where  he  was  going  to  stand  financially 
when  the  current  year  was  over.  During  the  last 
decade  of  his  life,  both  the  Chicago  Orchestra  and 
the  Cincinnati  Festival  Association — his  two  chief 
sources  of  income — were  maintained  simply  from 
year  to  year,  and  it  was  not  until  each  season  of 
the  orchestra  or  each  festival  was  entirely  over  that 
he  knew  whether  either  institution  would  be  con- 
tinued. This  uncertainty  kept  him  continually  on 
the  ragged  edge  of  anxiety  about  the  future,  for 
he  was  fearful  that  he  would  waste  his  few  re- 
maining years  in  the  West,  without  establishing 
anything  permanent,  and  in  the  end  find  himself 
stranded  there,  without  an  orchestra,  when  he 
was  too  old  to  return  and  make  a  new  place  for 
himself  in  the  East.  There  seemed  to  be  no  way, 
however,  by  which  either  he  or  the  trustees  could 
forecast  the  future  any  more  definitely,  so  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  take  the  goods  the  gods  pro- 


426          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

vided,  and  trust  that  everything  would  come  out 
right  in  the  end. 

Meantime  Thomas  continued  to  make  the  con- 
certs of  the  Association  as  alluring  to  the  Chicago 
public  as  he  could,  and  amongst  the  novelties  of  the 
season  of  1893  was  a  charming  Suite,  "  Impres- 
sions of  Italy,"  by  Charpentier,  which  brought 
the  following  pleasant  letter  from  this  eminent 
composer: 

PARIS,  Dec.,  1893. 
ME.  THEODORE  THOMAS. 

My  dear  Sir: 

My  friend  Amato  has  written  me  of  your  performance 
of  my  work,  "  Impressions  d'ltalie,"  in  Chicago.  Permit 
me  to  thank  you  and  to  add  also  the  compliments  of  my 
publisher,  M.  Tellier. 

I  am  very  happy  that  the  work  has  made  a  success,  and 
I  know  all  that  I  owe  to  you  in  the  matter,  for  the  con- 
ducting of  this  piece  is  very  delicate,  and  demands  an 
artist. 

If  you  conduct  choral  performances,  I  should  like  to 
offer  to  you  my  "  Vie  d'un  Poete,"  but,  in  the  meantime, 
permit  me  to  send  you  the  piano  arrangement  as  a  testi- 
monial of  my  gratitude  and  my  cordial  sympathy. 

G.  CHARPENTIER. 

The  season  of  1893-94  closed  with  the  eleventh 
Cincinnati  Festival,  which  still  stands  out  in  my 
memory  as  the  pleasantest  of  all  our  many  de- 
lightful experiences  in  that  city,  though  it  was  not 
artistically  the  greatest.  A  number  of  intimate 
friends,  who  had  come  from  various  cities  to 
attend  the  Festival,  as  well  as  most  of  the  solo 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          427 

artists,  stayed  in  the  same  hotel  as  ourselves.  A 
private  dining-room  was  reserved  for  the  accom- 
modation of  all  these  friends,  and  every  evening, 
after  the  concert,  one  or  the  other  would  give  a 
supper  and  invite  all  the  rest,  and,  as  may  be 
imagined,  there  was  not  a  little  fun  going  on. 
At  last  our  turn  came  to  give  the  supper.  The 
concert  which  preceded  this  occasion  had  gone 
off  particularly  well  and  Thomas  was  in  the  high- 
est spirits.  After  the  substantial  part  of  the  meal 
was  ended,  he  mixed  his  own  particular  brew  of 
punch,  and  cigars  were  lighted.  At  his  right  hand 
sat  his  beloved  friend  of  many  years,  Mrs.  E.  D. 
Gillespie,  now  old  in  years,  but  as  young  as  ever 
in  heart  and  brain.  When  all  the  preliminaries 
were  settled  to  his  liking,  he  arose,  glass  in  hand, 
and  after  pledging  the  company,  thus  addressed 
them :  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I  think  we  cannot 
close  this  pleasant  evening  better  than  by  having 
a  little  music.  I  therefore  call  upon  each  of  the 
artists  present  to  give  us  a  song,  after  which  I 
promise  that  my  friend,  Mrs.  Gillespie,  will  sing 
her  world-renowned  aria,  '  Boo,  for  John ! ' 
There  was  a  general  shout  over  this,  and,  entering 
into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  each  artist  rose  in 
turn  and  sang  an  appropriate  selection  without 
accompaniment.  As  they  were  singing  for 
brother-artists,  each  was  on  his  mettle  to  do  his 
best,  and  by  the  time  Ben  Davies,  the  famous 
Welsh  tenor,  was  called  upon  for  his  number,  the 
atmosphere  was  electric.  He  gave  a  short  lyric, 
exquisitely  rendered,  in  the  English  language. 


428          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

As  he  sat  down  amidst  the  delighted  applause 
which  followed,  a  slip  of  paper  was  put  into  his 
hand  by  one  of  the  waiters,  which  he  passed  along 
to  Thomas.  On  it  was  written,  "  Will  not  Mr. 
Davies  sing  a  Welsh  song  for  two  Welsh  waiters 
who  have  been  away  from  home  many  years?  " 
The  request  was,  of  course,  seconded  by  the  com- 
pany, and  then  this  great  artist  rose  again,  and 
sang,  not  as  a  musician  in  the  exercise  of  his  art, 
but  as  a  patriot  in  a  distant  land  when  he  gives 
expression  to  all  his  love  and  longing  for  home, 
the  wild  national  hymn  of  the  Welsh.  We  could 
not,  of  course,  understand  the  words,  but  so  pow- 
erful and  impassioned  was  his  rendering  of  this 
strange,  dramatic  music,  that  no  one  who  was 
present  will  ever  forget  it.  As  he  ceased  the  com- 
pany sat  spell-bound,  and  almost  in  tears,  and  then 
Thomas  relieved  the  tension  by  turning  to  Mrs. 
Gillespie  and  saying,  with  a  jolly  laugh,  "  Now 
then,  it  is  your  turn ;  give  us  '  John,  for  Boo ! ' 
Mrs.  Gillespie  was  equal  to  the  emergency, 
and  sang  the  little  comic  song  with  such  inimitable 
drollery  that  she  "  brought  down  the  house,"  and 
made  a  very  hilarious  ending  to  the  impromptu 
concert. 

The  next  day  this  delightful  Festival  ended, 
and  the  jolly  little  company  of  friends  and  artists 
scattered  to  their  widely-separated  homes,  in 
America  and  Europe.  Thomas,  of  course,  went 
to  Fairhaven,  thankful  for  a  chance  to  rest  and 
visit  with  his  family. 

The  summer  of  1894  was  marked  by  another 


A  Snapshot  of  Theodore  Thomas  Leaving  the  Hall  After  a 
Festival  Rehearsal  in  Cincinnati 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          429 

effort  to  draw  him  back  permanently  to  the  East. 
This  time  the  call  came  from  New  York,  where  it 
was  proposed  to  establish  an  endowed  orchestra 
similar  to  those  of  Boston  and  Chicago,  with 
Thomas  as  its  leader.  He  still  wanted  to  go 
passionately,  for  he  was  always  homesick  for  New 
York,  but  the  same  reasons  held  him  that  had 
caused  him  to  refuse  the  Boston  offer,  and  he 
again  declined. 

The  season  of  1894-95  was  virtually  a  repetition 
of  the  last,  except  that  it  was  lengthened  by  a 
very  long  concert  tour  of  nearly  two  months'  dura- 
tion, to  the  cities  of  the  Western  "  Highway." 
The  following  extracts  are  from  letters  written 
while  on  this  tour,  and  will  give  some  idea  of  the 
hardships  of  this  class  of  musical  work  in  this 
section  of  the  country: 

Indianapolis. — "  I  have  been  trying  to  write  for  two 
days,  but  we  are  in  the  cars  pretty  much  all  day — nasty  old 
cars — and  this  is  as  hard  a  trip  as  I  ever  made.  I  don't 
see  how  I  can  do  this  any  more.  Nearly  all  our  large 
instruments  have  been  broken  by  rough  handling  on  the 
trains,  and  for  two  days  we  have  had  no  dinner — only  a 
bit  of  sausage  and  bread.  This  sort  of  traveling  is  not 
natural  or  right,  and  I  cannot  continue  to  live  this  way 
after  this  year." 

Lincoln,  Neb. — "  Your  letter  I  received  yesterday,  this 
being  Thursday  I  will  give  up  my  walk  and  send  you 
a  few  lines,  otherwise  you  could  hardly  hear  from  me  this 
week,  for  I  had  no  chance  to  write  before.  Tuesday  we 
had  both  a  rehearsal  and  a  concert.  Yesterday  two  con- 


430          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

certs.  I  was  so  fatigued  from  these  and  the  two  nights 
in  the  train,  besides  having  caught  some  cold,  that  I  have 
spent  every  moment  I  could  in  bed,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
do  my  concert  work.  The  roads  out  here  are  too  rough 
for  me  to  write,  even  in  pencil — the  roads  are  like  the  gen- 
eral conditions,  and  I  must  say  that  I  would  like  to  shape 
the  next  few  years  somewhat  differently  from  what  the 
Chicago  situation  will  probably  allow.  As  for  traveling 
again  next  year  with  the  orchestra,  I  doubt  if  I  can  bring 
myself  to  make  that  sacrifice.  I  feel  that  I  have  done  my 
share,  and  that  the  country  and  the  people  need  time  to 
develop  now  before  we  can  expect  an  art  appreciation. 
Consequently  we  must  only  work  for  the  '  many-headed 
instrument/  the  orchestra,  and  I  fear  that  would  be  sui- 
cidal for  me.  In  one  sense  I  am  through  with  my  life 
work.  The  personal  satisfaction  of  showing  what  I  could 
do  under  favorable  circumstances  I  will  never  get, — or 
it  must  come  quickly, — but  that  may  be  nothing  more  than 
vanity.  A  man  of  over  sixty  ought  not  to  overwork  as  I 
do  and  I  think  I  must  find  some  suitable  occupation  and 
learn  to  live  on  a  smaller  income." 

Omaha. — "  Just  now  it  might  go  worse  with  us,  but  it 
might  also  go  better!  Everywhere  we  are  lodged  in 
second-class  hotels,  and  I  have  even  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  bed-bugs — it  being  Sunday,  however,  I  will  not 
swear ! 

"  Since  writing  the  above  we  have  left  Omaha,  and  have 
reached  Des  Moines,  after  a  very  hot  and  unpleasant  jour- 
ney of  six  hours.  1  still  have  my  cold  and  am  all  used  up. 
You  see  by  my  letters  that  I  have  nothing  to  say  in  par- 
ticular, but  only  in  general  that  I  wish  we  lived  somewhere 
and  had  some  sort  of  an  occupation  whereby  we  could 
enjoy  our  existence.  Neither  of  us  really  has  a  home; 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          431 

isn't  it  curious?  Nor  is  it  our  fault.  Circumstances,  and 
the  uncertain  future  of  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Association 
are  against  us,  but  I  think  we  both  deserve  peace,  and  I 
swear  if  I  am  not  more  contented  next  year  that  I  will 
give  up  music  and  go  into  business  yet.  You  may  laugh, 
but  I  am  serious,  and  you  will  admit  that  I  am  practical 
too.  When  I  come  home  you  can  give  me  some  advice  on 
the  subject,  and  perhaps  we  can  cut  the  Gordian  knot  of 
our  destiny  together." 

Cedar  Rapids. — "  I  am  very  tired  to-day  from  want  of 
sleep.  I  tried  to  get  a  nap  yesterday  but  in  vain,  so  I 
walked  the  streets,  though  it  was  hot  and  dusty.  I  got 
to  bed  at  twelve  last  night,  in  spite  of  a  little  festivity 
given  in  our  honor  by  the  band  of  Des  Moines,  but  could 
not  sleep  until  one,  and  woke  up  again  at  three,  after 
which  I  could  not  sleep  any  more  and  so  got  up  at  five. 
At  seven  the  train  started,  reaching  here  at  half -past  one. 
As  yet  we  have  no  hotel  accommodations  here  at  all — 
the  hotel  people,  I  am  told,  refused  to  make  contracts.  It 
is  nobody's  fault,  and  I  do  not  write  to  complain,  but 
simply  to  tell  you  how  we  live.  Meantime  while  I  sit  in 
the  hotel  reading-room,  our  manager  is  running  about  to 
find  beds  for  the  men.  The  '  mysterious  letter  '  you  for- 
warded was  not  an  evil  one,  but  the  contrary.  If  you 
had  opened  it,  as  you  should  have  done,  you  would  have 
found  that  it  was  from  Lang,  of  Boston,  asking  if  I  am 
free  to  accept  an  orchestral  position  there  beginning  with 
this  fall.  Of  course  I  have  written  him  that  I  cannot 
leave  Chicago  under  a  year's  notice  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Association,  so  this  chance  will  probably  slip  through  our 
fingers  like  all  the  rest.  But  the  fact  remains  that  this 
work  is  too  hard  for  me,  necessitating  as  it  does  so  much 
traveling  in  this  uncultivated  part  of  the  country.  As  I 


432          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

write  the  manager  comes  in  to  take  forty  of  the  men  to 
a  hotel  eight  miles  off.  But  I  shall  stay  where  I  am,  my 
back  aches  from  so  much  sitting  in  the  cars.  You  did 
not  say  where  you  sent  my  clean  clothes?  But  it  does  not 
make  much  difference,  a  little  dirt  more  or  less  don't  count 
at  present." 

Burlington,  Iowa. — "  Don't  judge  of  this  hotel  by  the 
picture  on  this  paper,  or  you  might  get  a  very  mistaken 
impression  of  it !  The  clean  clothes  came  last  night,  after 
I  had  mailed  my  letter.  By  the  time  our  manager  had 
found  beds  for  our  orchestra  yesterday  about  half  of  them 
were  scattered  through  the  town  in  private  houses.  To- 
day the  same  thing  happened  again  here.  My  stomach  is 
all  out  of  order  from  the  bad  food.  Well,  I  will  say  no 
more  about  the  matter,  but  this  traveling  must  stop  for 
me,  and  I  have  asked  Norman  to  notify  the  trustees  that 
next  year  will  be  my  last.  I  can  see  only  one  way  to  make 
the  orchestra  permanent  in  Chicago  as  long  as  we  have 
no  building  of  our  own,  and  that  is  to  give  a  long  summer- 
night  series  of  concerts.  The  time  ought  to  be  ripe  for 
that  now,  and  it  would  perhaps  do  away  with  this  infernal 
traveling." 

Davenport,  Iowa. — "  Just  a  few  lines  to-day,  as  this  will 
be  my  last  chance  to  write  this  week.  To-morrow  we  start 
at  five,  and  are  for  two  days  and  nights  all  the  time  on 
the  train,  except  when  we  stop  to  give  concerts — one  Fri- 
day and  two  Saturday.  The  weather  here  in  Iowa  is  sum- 
mer heat.  Next  week  in  Minnesota  it  will  probably  be 
winter  cold,  but  at  least  I  shall  be  able  to  find  a  restaurant 
where  I  can  get  something  to  eat,  and  then  I  will  pick  up 
again." 

Duluth,  Minn. — "  Your  letter  is  just  received.  Our 
hardships  I  hope  are  over  now  for  a  time,  and  it  is  useless  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          433 

write  about  them.  I  never  saw  such  tired  men  in  my  life, 
nor  can  I  remember  to  have  been  through  such  a  continu- 
ous strain.  The  basket  of  luncheon  you  sent  came  in  just 
right.  I  had  given  up  eating,  my  stomach  rebelled,  but 
your  chops  have  cured  me!  The  second  basket  came  last 
night,  but  I  have  not  opened  it  yet,  because  here  we  are 
in  quite  a  good  hotel  and  the  manager  is  giving  me  extra 
attention.  I  went  to  bed  at  twelve  last  night  and  for 
the  first  time  since  leaving  home  I  had  a  good  sleep  of 
seven  hours,  and  feel  like  a  new  man  again." 

Minneapolis,  Minn. — "  Only  a  line  to-day  to  let  you 
know  where  I  am,  for  I  am  again  so  tired  that  I  can  neither 
eat  nor  sleep.  Even  when  I  go  to  bed  early,  cramps  in  my 
feet — I  suppose  from  lack  of  exercise — will  not  let  me 
sleep.  I  am  doing  the  best  I  can  not  to  get  sick  until  this 
miserable  tour  is  over.  But  do  be  ready  to  start  for 
Europe,  as  soon  as  I  get  home,  and  let  me  get  away  from 
everything  and  everybody  for  a  while." 

Minneapolis,  Minn. — "  I  held  a  long  rehearsal  this  morn- 
ing to  try  and  get  the  orchestra  in  shape  again,  but  little 
was  gained.  The  men  are  too  tired,  and  play  like  ma- 
chines. I  thought,  because  they  were  young,  they  would 
pick  up  quickly,  but  no,  they  take  even  longer  than  I. 
The  hotels  here  are  good,  and  nothing  is  wanting  in  that 
way,  so  I  feel  better,  but  am  still  far  from  being  rested.  I 
am  all  worn  out,  and  my  body  is  as  heavy  as  lead  from 
lack  of  sleep.  Can  anyone  blame  me  if  I  say  that  I  cannot 
do  this  work  any  more?  I  feel  that  I  must  leave  after  next 
winter,  and  if  we  have  no  offer  from  Boston  or  New  York, 
then  we  will  go  to  Fairhaven  or  to  Europe,  and  wait  till 
something  comes  along.  They  will  not  leave  me  stranded 
very  long  in  idleness.  Do  you  agree?  Your  check  was 
very  thoughtful,  but,  Madame!  you  do  not  seem  to  know 


434          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

me  at  all.  I  still  have  twenty-five  dollars  in  bills  in  my 
pocket,  besides  some  change!  Can  you  show  as  good 
a  record  since  I  am  gone  ?  " 

St.  Paul,  Minn. — "  Yesterday  I  received  your  letter. 
On  reflection  I  consider  myself  a  good  man,  and  what  I  am  I 
owe  to  the  noble  impulses  received  from  art  works.  But  if 
I  were  not,  you  would  make  a  better  man  of  me.  I  have 
not  made  up  my  mind  yet  whether  I  will  run  home  for 
Sunday  or  not.  We  will  be  so  near  that  I  could — but  I 
would  so  hate  to  have  to  go  away  again  the  next  day. 
Saturday  we  have  to  travel  a  couple  of  hours,  and  then 
play  two  fatiguing  programmes.  I  shall  be  tired,  of 
course,  and  if  I  take  the  seven  o'clock  train  Sunday  it 
means  getting  up  at  five.  I  will  telegraph  you  Saturday 
what  I  will  do — probably  I  will  come,  as  I  do  not  sleep 
after  five  anyway.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  intolerable  the 
rest  of  the  tour  is  to  me,  it  seems  as  if  my  nerves  could 
endure  it  no  longer." 

The  letter  of  resignation  which  Thomas  had 
written  while  on  this  tour  was  never  delivered. 
Mr.  Fay  did  not  wish  to  be  the  intermediary  in 
the  matter,  and  advised  Thomas  to  lay  it  before  the 
trustees  himself  if  he  was  really  in  earnest  about 
going.  He  was  in  earnest  about  it,  not  only  on 
account  of  the  traveling,  but  on  account  of  his 
health,  which  was  beginning  to  be  seriously  af- 
fected by  the  harsh  climate  of  Chicago,  and  the 
overwrought  condition  of  his  nerves.  "  I  am 
still  in  my  prime  as  an  artist,"  he  said,  "  and 
ripe  for  the  best  work  of  my  life,  if  I  can  do  it 
under  normal  and  satisfactory  conditions.  But 
I  am  no  longer  able  to  stand  the  strain  of  pro- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          435 

longed  overwork  as  in  my  younger  days.  If  I 
continue  it  much  longer,  it  is  simply  at  the  risk 
of  ruining  my  health  and  breaking  down  alto- 
gether." He  was,  therefore,  fully  determined  to 
hand  in  his  resignation  to  the  trustees,  at  the  first 
opportunity.  But  it  so  happened  that  there  was 
no  business  meeting  of  the  board,  immediately 
after  his  return,  but  after  he  had  been  at  home 
about  long  enough  to  get  quiet  and  rested,  and  to 
have  forgotten  some  of  the  miseries  of  the  tour, 
the  trustees  gave  a  dinner  in  his  honor,  and  on 
this  occasion  so  much  good-will  and  affection  for 
himself,  and  such  earnest  enthusiasm  for  the 
cause  for  which  they  were  all  working  were  ex- 
pressed, that  he  did  not  have  the  heart  to  push  his 
resignation  just  then.  Amongst  the  other  unex- 
pected expressions  of  that  evening  was  one  from 
the  women  of  Chicago,  who,  headed  by  the  orches- 
tra's devoted  friend,  Mrs.  John  J.  Glessner,  pre- 
sented him  with  a  large  silver  punch  bowl.  Alto- 
gether, this  evening  brought  home  to  him  the 
serious  and  earnest  spirit  with  which  the  Asso- 
ciation regarded  the  work,  and  the  friendship  of, 
not  only  the  trustees,  but  the  community  in  gen- 
eral, for  himself,  in  a  manner  that  he  had  not  be- 
fore realized.  It  gave  him  a  very  different  feel- 
ing in  regard  to  remaining,  and  he  decided  to 
try  and  continue  the  work  a  while  longer,  hoping 
that  a  long  summer  of  rest  in  Europe  would 
restore  his  physical  equilibrium,  and  that  the  work 
of  the  association  would,  perhaps,  be  carried  out 
on  easier  lines  next  year. 


436          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

After  this  Thomas  ceased  to  plan  for  a  return 
to  the  East,  but  made  up  his  mind  to  stand  by  the 
Orchestral  Association  for  good  or  ill,  as  long 
as  he  should  continue  his  public  career.  He  had 
now  tried  and  proved  the  men  with  whom  he  had 
been  so  closely  associated  for  the  past  four  years, 
and  had  become  deeply  attached  to  them.  He  felt 
every  confidence  that  they  would  not  give  up  the 
work  or  allow  its  standard  to  be  lowered  so  long 
as  any  effort  on  their  part  could  maintain  it. 
Having  thus  decided  to  stay  in  the  West  for  the 
rest  of  his  life,  Thomas  began  to  plan  for  ways 
and  means  of  conserving  the  physical  powers 
which  still  remained  to  him.  With  this  end  in 
view,  he  purchased  a  small  estate  in  the  White 
Mountains,  where  the  air  was  dry  and  clear, 
and  he  hoped,  by  spending  a  large  part  of  his 
summers  in  out-of-door  life  there,  to  counteract 
the  bad  effects  of  the  cold,  damp  lake  winds  of 
the  winter  months  in  Chicago. 

The  summer  of  1895  was  a  delightful  one  for  us, 
for  we  went  to  Europe,  and  for  four  enchanted 
months  "  cast  dull  care  away,"  and  enjoyed  the 
only  pleasure  trip  we  were  ever  able  to  take  to- 
gether. Our  journey  had  nothing  new  or  original 
about  it,  and  we  had  no  time  for  anything  out  of 
the  beaten  track  of  European  travel,  but  every 
day  was  full  of  pleasant  little  excursions  to  his- 
toric places;  of  dreamy  wanderings  in  wonderful 
art  galleries;  of  lovely  drives  and  walks;  of  cozy 
little  tete-a-tete  meals  in  quaint  restaurants;  of 
operas,  concerts,  and  delightful  junketings  with 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          437 

foreign  friends, — the  last,  perhaps,  the  pleasantest 
happenings  of  all,  for  like  all  musicians  Thomas 
had,  in  every  city,  a  delightful  circle  of  musical 
friends  ready-made,  and  cordially  anxious  to  make 
our  stay  agreeable. 

This  little  trip  was  of  great  benefit  to  Thomas, 
and  by  the  time  he  returned  to  Chicago  in  the  fall, 
catarrh  and  rheumatism  were  apparently  cured, 
and  he  was  in  the  best  condition  for  his  winter's 
work. 

The  season  of  1895-96  opened  auspiciously,  and 
proceeded  in  accordance  with  the  now-established 
routine  of  the  Association,  broken  only  by  two 
short  trips,  described  in  the  following  letters: 

"  TORONTO,  Jan.  8,  1896. 

"  I  suppose  you  want  to  hear  something  from  the  '  Old 
Man,'  by  this  time!  Well,  we  can  take  it  a  little  easy 
this  morning  and  get  rested,  after  getting  up  two  morn- 
ings at  five  o'clock.  We  arrived  here  yesterday  after 
traveling  all  day  in  a  nasty  hot  car,  and  found  the 
weather  here  very  cold — real  good  winter  cold,  without 
the  everlasting  damp  Chicago  wind.  The  valve  (brass) 
instruments  were  all  frozen,  and  the  hall  cold,  so  it  was 
quite  a  time  before  we  got  started  with  the  concert.  The 
hall  is  unsatisfactory,  owing  to  the  narrow  stage.  To- 
night we  leave  by  special  train  for  Cleveland,  after  the 
concert.  A  telegram  received  yesterday  announces  that 
Materna  is  not  available  for  the  concert  of  the  musical 
club.  Probably  the  ladies  did  not  calculate  that  the 
prima  donna  would  cost  more  than  the  tenor  they  had 
thought  of  engaging,  and  did  not  find  it  out  till  the  last 
minute.  They  are  learning  something,  poor  things.  Music 


438          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

is  a  rare  pleasure  when  everything  in  the  conditions  and 
surroundings  harmonizes,  but  it  is  only  one  step  from  the 
beautiful  to  the  ugly  and  unsatisfactory.  I  hope  you  are 
having  a  nice  time  while  I  am  gone,  and  I  only  wish  that 
I  could  have  it  a  little  easier,  but  that  is  impossible,  and 
I  simply  have  to  go  on  as  long  as  this  old  body  can  stand 
it.  The  summer  is,  at  least,  a  refreshing  time  to  think  of. 

"  How  is  our  little  new  library  building  getting  on  ?  It 
will  be  a  comfort  to  have  an  extra  room  for  the  music, 
and  I  shall  enjoy  having  a  billiard  table  again  for  a 
little  change  and  relaxation. 

"  Now,  I'm  off  to  the  hall,  to  try  and  improve  the  seating 
of  the  orchestra  a  little.  My  lame  arm  has  a  little  needed 
rest  to-day,  as  I  did  not  rehearse  because  the  men  also 
need  rest  in  order  to  do  good  work,  or  to  work  with 
pleasure." 

"  CLEVELAND,  Feb.  15,  1896. 

"  Once  more  I  am  rolling  about  over  this  country,  and 
this  time  the  trip  is  not  so  pleasant  as  the  last.  This  is  the 
first  and  only  moment  I  have  had  since  leaving  home  when 
I  could  write  you.  The  weather  is  mild,  but  the  hotels, 
cars,  and  halls  are  all  heated  to  meet  the  most  intense  cold, 
and  have  been  simply  horrible.  That  I  am  not  sick  is  a 
wonder.  The  present  hotel  is  better,  and  I  am  fairly  com- 
fortable, but  my  nerves  are  jumping  so  that  I  can  hardly 
hold  a  pen.  Our  experiences  on  this  tour  have  been  very 
disagreeable  all  along,  in  other  ways  than  physical  discom- 
fort. In  Detroit  there  was  trouble  with  the  soloist.  I  did 
not  personally  exchange  a  word  with  him,  but  I  am  told 
that  the  newspapers  have  given  a  more  sensational  account 
of  the  matter.  In  Pittsburg  we  played  to  the  smallest 
audiences  of  my  life.  For  the  last  night  some  tickets  were 
even  given  away,  to  have  some  people  there  to  play  to ! — 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          439 

a  strange  experience  in  Pittsburg,  where  I  have  played 
for  so  many  years  to  good  houses.  It  seems  that  the  op- 
ponents of  the  musical  club  which  engaged  us  were  very 
active  in  working  against  us,  while  the  club  itself  did  noth- 
ing to  counteract  the  opposition.  In  Toledo  we  also  dis- 
covered some  enemies.  It  is  too  absurd,  but  nevertheless 
annoying.  Conditions  change  constantly,  but  while  the 
people  have  now  learned  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  art, 
they  have  as  yet  little  use  for  it,  and  so  we  cannot  suit 
them.  Beside  all  these  unpleasantnesses  I  have  had  a 
stiff  back  all  the  week,  which  is  hard  to  bear,  for  it  is 
torture  to  stand  all  the  evening  on  the  platform  and 
conduct. 

"  As  a  compensation,  our  manager  tells  me  that  for  the 
spring  engagement  in  New  York,  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House  is  already  so  well  sold  that  it  will  probably  be  sold 
out  by  the  time  the  concerts  are  given.  That  is  certainly 
more  than  I  expected.  I  hope  that  conditions  will  be 
favorable  and  that  we  can  do  ourselves  justice.  Brook- 
lyn and  Philadelphia  are  also  sold,  so  that  the  Eastern 
trip  looks  promising,  and  I  trust  may  turn  satisfactorily. 
But  you  know  I  have  never  felt  very  confident  of  a  friendly 
welcome  in  New  York  for  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  and  as 
for  myself,  I  also  have  enemies  as  well  as  friends  there." 


The  Eastern  engagement,  alluded  to  in  the  last 
letter,  was  scheduled  to  come  off  in  March,  when 
Thomas  was  to  return  to  his  old  home  and  give  a 
short  series  of  concerts  for  the  first  time  since  he 
had  moved  to  Chicago.  The  prospect  of  this  en- 
gagement made  him  strangely  anxious  all  winter, 
in  anticipation.  The  Western  orchestra,  although 
now  a  splendid  body  of  musicians,  still  had  its  old 


440          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

weak  spot  in  the  discrepancy  between  the  "  regu- 
lar "  and  the  "  extra  "  men.  This  was  always  a 
source  of  worry  to  Thomas,  even  in  Chicago,  and 
made  him  still  more  anxious  about  concerts  in  the 
Eastern  cities,  where,  for  the  honor  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, he  was  especially  anxious  to  have  the  or- 
chestra shine.  In  the  ordinary  tours  over  the 
Western  "  Highway,"  he  only  took  the  "  regular  " 
men,  so  there  was  no  difficulty  of  this  sort  then. 
But  the  Eastern  concerts  demanded  the  full 
strength  of  the  organization,  and  there  he  must 
take  the  "  extra "  men  also.  Consequently,  he 
began  a  special  training  of  the  whole  force,  on  the 
Eastern  programmes,  in  the  fall,  and  kept  it  up 
continuously  all  winter.  Every  number  which 
was  to  be  played  in  the  East  was  put  on  the  pro- 
grammes of  the  Chicago  concerts  in  the  course  of 
the  season,  and  the  symphonies  were  played  many 
times,  there  and  elsewhere,  until  there  was  not  a 
musician  in  the  orchestra  to  whom  every  lightest 
shade  of  expression  was  not  as  familiar  as  house- 
hold words,  and  on  these  programmes,  at  least,  the 
orchestra  was  as  thoroughly  equalized  as  the  fa- 
mous old  Thomas  Orchestra  of  New  York  ever 
was  in  its  palmiest  days. 

At  last  the  winter  season  was  over,  and  the  time 
came  for  this  important  trying-out  of  the  Western 
organization  before  the  public  of  New  York  and 
the  adjacent  cities.  The  first  concert  took  place 
on  a  certain  Tuesday  in  March,  and  the  great 
Metropolitan  Opera  House  was  nearly  filled  with 
an  audience  which  seemed  to  be  composed  only 


o 

bC 
83 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          441 

of  personal  friends,  it  was  so  enthusiastic  and 
determined  to  give  a  warm  and  affectionate  wel- 
come to  their  old  leader. 

At  the  close  of  the  concert  Thomas  was  pre- 
sented with  a  laurel  wreath,  and  in  short,  the 
evening  passed  off  very  successfully.  The  second 
concert  of  the  series  was  made  memorable  to  him 
by  the  presentation  of  a  large  silver  loving  cup, 
on  which  was  engraved:  "To  Theodore  Thomas, 
the  great  conductor,  the  true  man,  and  the  cher- 
ished friend,  in  admiration  and  love,  from  Ignace 
J.  Paderewski."  Thomas,  like  all  public  men,  was 
the  recipient  of  a  great  many  beautiful  public 
gifts  in  the  course  of  his  life,  such  as  ivory  batons 
mounted  in  gold  or  jewels;  silver  punch  bowls, 
loving  cups,  and  centerpieces;  engrossed  testi- 
monials, watches,  and  similar  costly  souvenirs  of 
special  events  or  musical  organizations  with  which 
he  was  connected.  But  nothing  of  this  kind  ever 
came  to  him  that  gave  him  more  pleasure  than  this 
unexpected  gift.  Paderewski  was  not  in  America 
at  the  time,  but  he  knew  that  the  first  engagement 
of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  in  New  York  would 
have  an  unusual  significance  for  Thomas,  and  it 
occurred  to  him  to  aid  in  enhancing  its  festal 
character,  by  sending  his  beautiful  personal  tribute 
to  be  presented  then. 

A  pleasant  incident  of  another  kind  took  place 
at  the  third  concert  of  the  series.  It  chanced  that 
the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra  was  also  in  New 
York,  giving  concerts,  and  as  they  were  to  have 
no  performance  at  the  hour  when  Thomas  was 


442          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

giving  a  matinee,  many  of  them  came  to  the  box 
office  to  buy  tickets  for  it.  The  relations  between 
the  two  orchestras  had  always  been  of  the  most 
friendly  character,  and  when  it  came  to  the  ears 
of  Thomas  and  his  manager  that  they  would  like 
to  hear  the  concert,  an  invitation  was  sent  to  the 
entire  orchestra,  to  attend  in  a  body,  and  was 
promptly  accepted.  They  all  came,  attended  by 
their  celebrated  conductor,  Wilhelm  Gericke.  The 
Chicago  Orchestra  naturally  felt  this  to  be  a  great 
compliment,  and  never  did  it  give  a  better  per- 
formance. Each  man  was  determined  to  do  his 
very  best.  Afterwards,  the  Boston  men  came 
behind  the  scenes  and  the  two  orchestras  had  a 
pleasant  half-hour  together.  It  seemed  a  pity 
that,  when  the  two  greatest  symphony  orchestras 
of  the  world  were  on  the  same  stage,  they  could 
not  have  united  together  in  playing  one  splendid 
musical  number  before  separating. 

At  the  final  concert  still  another  presentation 
took  place.  This  time  the  musicians  and  music 
lovers  of  New  York  gave  Thomas  a  large  silver 
centerpiece,  which  was  brought  upon  the  stage 
during  the  intermission,  and  formally  presented 
with  an  appropriate  speech  by  Mr.  Gerritt  Smith. 
For  once  in  his  life,  Thomas  had  to  say  something 
to  the  audience  in  reply.  Speech-making  was  not 
one  of  his  specialties,  and  he  would  not  attempt  to 
do  anything  in  public  which  he  could  not  do  well. 
Stepping  to  the  front  of  the  stage,  therefore,  he 
simply  said :  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I  could 
never  make  a  speech  in  my  life,  but  I  beg  you  to  be- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          443 

lieve  that  I  thank  you  heartily,"  and  as  soon  as  the 
long-continued  applause  would  permit,  mounted 
the  conductor's  stand  and  proceeded  with  the  pro- 
gramme. The  designer  of  this  beautiful  piece  of 
silver,  Mr.  Paulding  Farnham,  one  of  the  artists  of 
Tiffany  &  Co.,  described  its  elaborate  symbolism 
as  follows: 

"  The  outline  and  general  intention  of  this  piece  repre- 
sent a  crown.  The  Greeks  were  the  first  to  use  a  band 
of  twisted  laurel  twigs  to  confer  distinction,  and  some- 
times oak  leaves  were  also  used,  to  denote  strength  of  feel- 
ing and  hospitality.  In  the  present  instance  these  are  all 
intended  to  signify  the  exalted  position  of  the  recipient. 
The  conventional  form  of  a  crown  indicates  a  master. 
The  violin,  his  favorite  instrument,  plays  an  important 
part  in  the  volute  of  the  handles.  Around  the  base,  on 
heart-shaped  spaces,  are  medallions  of  the  great  musi- 
cians whose  art  it  has  been  the  life-work  of  Mr.  Thomas 
to  interpret,  and  one  of  himself  in  the  center.  Between 
these  medallions  is  the  torch  of  Hymen,  denoting  the  mar- 
riage of  the  musical  art  and  the  man  who  represents  it. 
The  swans  of  Lohengrin  lend  their  graceful  outlines  to 
the  general  significance  of  the  lower  section.  The  loops 
of  the  crown,  above  this  gallery  of  masters,  are  strength- 
ened by  garlands  of  ivy  leaves — denoting  friendship.  Top- 
ping these  are  oak  leaves,  each  of  which  supports  a  tri- 
umphal Bambino,  which  lends  elevation  and  harmony  to 
all  these  attributes  of  genius.  A  Greek  ornamental  lyre 
at  intervals  around  the  top  assists  the  whole  poetic  con- 
struction to  form  a  vessel  of  practical  dimensions  for 
either  a  centerpiece  for  flowers  and  fruit,  or  a  punch 
bowl.  The  approximate  weight  in  sterling  silver  is  two 
hundred  ounces." 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Taken  for  all  in  all,  the  visit  of  the  Chicago 
Orchestra  to  New  York  was  a  success,  and  the 
warmth  of  his  welcome,  the  large  and  appreciative 
audiences,  and  the  beautiful  tributes  of  one  kind 
or  another,  which  came  to  him,  touched  Thomas 
very  deeply,  and,  as  we  were  leaving  the  city,  he 
exclaimed  sadly,  "  Oh,  New  York,  New  York — 
it  must  be  a  poor  sort  of  man  who  does  not 
love  his  home !  " 

There  is  a  good  old  German  proverb  which 
says :  "It  is  so  arranged  that  the  trees  do  not 
grow  into  the  heavens,"  and  if  Thomas  experienced 
much  that  was  pleasant  during  his  New  York 
engagement,  he  also  had  to  take  his  full  measure 
of  criticism,  for  he  had  many  bitter  enemies  there, 
In  fact  the  majority  of  the  press  were  hostile,  rather 
than  friendly  towards  him.  Amongst  those  who 
were  the  latter,  however,  was  Henry  T.  Finck, 
the  eminent  author  and  musical  critic  of  the  Even- 
ing Post.  At  the  close  of  the  engagement  he 
summed  up  its  results  as  follows: 

"  The  results  of  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas'  attempt  to  give 
seven  concerts  with  his  Chicago  Orchestra  in  New  York, 
in  less  than  two  weeks,  may  be  summed  up  in  the  words 
that  *  he  got  an  encore  ' — that  is  to  say  that  the  concerts 
paid  so  well  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  touch  the  guar- 
antee fund,  and  that  he  has  already  decided  to  come  again 
another  year.  The  audiences  grew  larger  and  more  en- 
thusiastic with  each  succeeding  concert,  in  spite  of  the 
virulent  opposition  of  some  of  the  newspapers, — an  oppo- 
sition which  hurt  its  leaders  much  more  than  it  did  the 
leader  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra.  .  .  .  The  enthusiastic 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          445 

lovers  of  first-class  music  who  attended  the  Thomas  con- 
certs, did  not  care  whether  Boston,  New  York,  or  London 
had  orchestras  in  which  this  or  that  individual  player  or 
group  of  players  was  a  trifle  better  or  worse  than  the 
corresponding  ones  in  the  Chicago  Orchestra.  They  knew 
that  with  all  the  money  placed  at  his  disposal  in  Chicago, 
Mr.  Thomas  would  not  lead  a  band  of  mediocre  players. 
But  even  if  the  players  had  been  mediocre,  the  patrons 
would  have  felt  sure  that  he  would  make  them  play  well, 
and  would  interpret  the  music  as  they  like  to  have  it 
interpreted,  .  .  .  and  they  flocked  to  the  Thomas  concerts 
in  ever-increasing  numbers.  The  result  was  that  the  sec- 
ond matinee  wiped  out  every  dollar  of  the  heavy  expenses, 
and  the  receipts  of  the  final  concert  were  a  net  profit. 
This  information  is  official.  .  .  .  What  struck  me  most 
about  this  orchestra  was  its  versatility.  It  seemed  to  be 
a  different  band  to  suit  each  different  style  of  music. 
Brilliant  where  brilliancy  was  called  for,  at  other  times 
dignified  and  classic,  delicate  and  tender,  dreamy  and  ro- 
mantic, or  dramatic  and  thrilling,  as  in  Mr.  Thomas'  own 
arrangement  of  Chopin's  '  Funeral  March.'  In  conse- 
quence of  this  versatility,  which  revealed  the  genius  of 
the  conductor,  there  was  a  surprise  in  store  for  the  audi- 
ence at  every  concert,  and  it  was  not  until  the  last  had 
been  given  that  anyone  could  feel  sure  that  he  really  knew 
the  full  capacity  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  and  its 
conductor." 

After  his  return  to  Chicago  a  brief  interval 
elapsed,  and  the  second  week  in  May  saw  Thomas 
in  Cincinnati,  busy  with  the  usual  preliminary  re- 
hearsals for  the  festival  of  1896.  At  this  festival 
the  two  most  important  novelties  given  were  Saint 
Saens'  (<  Samson  et  DaUla"  and  Tinel's  "  Fran- 


446          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

cis."  Both  were  very  elaborate  and  difficult  com- 
positions; that  of  Saint  Saens,  in  particular, 
required  an  orchestra  augmented  to  the  largest 
proportions.  In  the  ballet  music  there  were  even 
some  instruments  of  percussion  which  are  not  to  be 
found  in  the  most  complete  orchestral  organiza- 
tion, and  these  Thomas  had  had  made  especially, 
while  in  Europe  the  previous  summer.  We  were 
in  Paris  when  they  arrived,  and  as  they  lay  on 
the  table  in  Thomas'  hotel  room,  Saint  Saens 
himself  entered.  Seeing  the  familiar  instruments, 
he  asked  what  they  were  for,  and  on  being  told 
that  they  were  for  a  festival  performance  of  his 
own  work,  he  was  quite  delighted,  and  picking 
them  up,  adjusted  them  on  his  hands  and  pro- 
ceeded to  play  the  part  for  which  they  were  de- 
signed. His  performance  was  not  lost  on  Thomas, 
and  when  the  passage  was  given  in  Cincinnati, 
every  shade  of  intonation  and  rhythm  was  repro- 
duced to  the  life,  exactly  as  Saint  Saens  had 
played  it. 

And  now,  his  duties  ended  for  a  time,  Thomas 
was  free  to  go  to  Fairhaven  and  enjoy  home  life. 
Unfortunately,  the  climate  of  Fairhaven  was  even 
damper  than  that  of  Chicago,  and  the  Thomas 
estate  itself,  although  large  and  beautiful,  offered 
him  no  out-of-door  occupation,  for  it  was  all 
under  the  cultivation  of  an  expert  gardener. 
Thomas  did  not  care  to  cultivate  flowers  or  run 
the  lawn-mower,  for  exercise,  and  longed  for  a  bit 
of  forest,  wild  and  untouched,  which  he  could 
trim  and  chop  for  himself.  He  had  bought  such 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          447 

a  little  tract  of  land  on  the  eastern  slope  of  what 
is  now  called  "  Mount  Theodore  Thomas,"  in 
Bethlehem,  N.  H.,  two  years  previously,  and 
now  decided  to  build  a  cottage  there,  and  spend 
a  portion  of  each  summer  in  the  woods,  hop- 
ing thereby  to  counteract  the  bad  effects  of  the 
Chicago  climate,  and  get  rid  of  his  catarrh.  When 
July  came,  therefore,  I  was  sent  to  Bethlehem 
to  superintend  its  construction,  while  enjoying  the 
hospitality  of  our  kind  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Glessner.  The  following  letters,  which  he  wrote 
me  at  this  time,  chronicle  only  the  simple  happen- 
ings of  home  life,  but  they  are  inserted  to  show 
how  great  a  change  had  now  come  over  his 
prevailing  mood.  The  old  bitterness  had  passed 
away,  the  old  anxiety  was  laid  to  rest,  and,  under 
the  new  consciousness  of  comradeship  and  support 
in  his  professional  work,  the  naturally  genial, 
hopeful  nature  of  Thomas  budded  and  blossomed 
afresh  as  in  the  springtime  of  youth. 

"  FAIBHAVEN,  MASS.,  July  8,  1896. 

"  I  hope  you  reached  your  destination  at  the  Glessners 
as  promptly  as  I  reached  home  yesterday.  After  I  had 
seen  you  safely  on  the  train  in  Boston,  I  had  to  wait 
until  a  quarter  before  eleven  before  my  own  train  left, 
but  I  reached  New  Bedford  a  little  after  twelve,  walked 
across  the  river,  and,  as  I  stepped  into  the  house  the  dinner- 
bell  was  ringing.  I  was  very  glad  to  be  back  in  this  rest- 
ful place.  One  needs  to  go  away  from  home  sometimes 
to  appreciate  it,  but  I  need  only  half  a  day  for  that,  and 
I  really  felt  as  worn  out  as  if  I  had  been  on  a  concert  tour 
— like  our  friend  P.,  who  was  all  broken  up  because  he  had 


448          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

sat  up  two  nights  previously  until  twelve  o'clock!  Well, 
I  did  not  sit  up  till  twelve,  but  went  to  bed  early  and  took 
the  dog  into  my  room  to  console  him  for  your  absence. 
He  rewarded  me  by  waking  me  up  a  dozen  times  in  the 
night,  and  this  morning  I  told  Hulda  that  she  might  have 
him  back  again. 

"  By  this  time  you  have  probably  seen  our  place,  and 
decided  where  you  are  going  to  locate  the  cottage.  I 
hope  the  place  looks  as  pretty  as  I  remember  it,  and  that 
you  have  better  weather  there  than  we  are  having  here 
to-day.  It  is  very  sultry  and  Dicky  goes  into  the  remot- 
est corner  of  your  closet  and  curls  himself  up  there  to 
sleep.  I  am  very  well;  in  fact,  I  have  not  felt  so  well 
for  a  long  time — free  from  any  ache.  Perhaps  the  effect 
of  rest  begins  to  tell  upon  the  body.  I  have  only  one 
complaint  to  make  now,  and  that  is,  I  fear,  a  chronic  one 
with  me,  namely,  that  time  goes  too  fast.  I  mean  I  do 
not  accomplish  enough.  Mees  comes  to-morrow  to  talk 
over  our  chorus  plans  for  next  winter." 

July  13. — "  I  have  suspended  work  to  write  to  you,  and 
see  if  I  can  get  into  a  peaceful  frame  of  mind.  Musical 
work  is  restful  to  me  in  one  way,  because  I  can  do  it  to 
my  satisfaction  in  regard  to  quality,  but  never  in  regard 
to  quantity — there  is  so  much  to  be  done.  The  weather 
here  is  midsummer,  no  doubt  about  that.  It  is  corn 
weather:  the  thermometer  crawls  up  to  near  ninety  de- 
grees, but  our  front  porch  is  always  cooled  by  the  sea 
breezes.  The  dog  sleeps  so  restlessly  that  now  he  disturbs 
the  girls,  and  to-night  I  shall  open  all  doors  and  windows 
in  the  second  story  and  let  him  sleep  where  he  likes. 

"  I  am  not  surprised  at  your  experiences  in  building  the 
cottage.  I  always  thought  that  you  could  not  get  what 
you  planned  for  the  sum  you  allowed,  for  the  moment 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          449 

one  wants  something  pretty  and  harmonious,  one  must 
have  better  workmen,  allow  more  time,  and  buy  better 
material.  However,  thus  it  is  in  this  world,  and  you  will 
have  to  console  yourself  with  the  thought  that  it  will  be 
less  trouble  and  expense  to  take  care  of  the  *  shanty,' 
than  it  would  have  been  to  look  after  the  stone  cottage 
with  the  red-tiled  roof  and  finishings  to  correspond,  which 
you  first  had  in  mind.  After  all,  this  is  as  it  should  be, 
for  when  you  and  I  go  to  the  mountains  it  is  with  the 
idea  of  having  a  *  nature  spree.'  We  do  not  want  house- 
hold, or  any  other  cares  there. 

"  On  account  of  the  hot  weather,  I  do  not  try  to  do  any- 
thing out  of  doors,  for  it  is  not  good  for  me  to  exercise 
in  the  heat  of  the  sun.  I  have  not  even  been  to  drive 
since  you  are  gone.  I  cannot  tell  you  what  I  have  learned 
this  summer  from  the  dog  and  the  horses.  One  can  learn, 
of  course,  every  day,  if  one  only  knows  enough  to  ap- 
ply  it." 

July  17. — "  At  last  we  have  pleasant  weather  again,  and 
I  even  had  to  put  on  an  extra  blanket  last  night.  The 
large  Braun  photographs,  purchased  in  Boston,  have  ar- 
rived. While  they  do  not  quite  come  up  to  my  expecta- 
tions, they  have,  nevertheless,  changed  the  whole  atmos- 
phere of  the  house  enough  to  give  me  much  pleasure,  and, 
since  we  cannot  afford  to  buy  great  paintings,  I  prefer 
the  photographs  of  master-works  rather  than  inferior 
paintings.  I  wish  we  had  a  little  money  to  spend  on  such 
things,  for  I  find  them  not  only  satisfactory  but  very 
inciting.  One  cannot  look  at  such  a  picture  as,  for  in- 
stance, that  of  the  Michael  Angelo  sculpture,  without 
being  reminded  of  the  man  who  created  it,  and  it  is 
strengthening  to  the  soul.  How  those  old  fellows  worked, 
and  what  an  age  they  reached! 


450         -MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  Studying  my  own  nature,  I  believe  that  I  have  a  very 
unhappy  temperament.  No  one  can  be  more  conscious 
of  this  than  I  am,  but  I  cannot  change  myself,  and  am 
afraid  I  shall  never  be  able  to  as  long  as  it  burns  in  me. 
As  Goethe  says,  *  Life  is  short,  but  art  is  long.5  At  all 
events  I  am  good-natured  and  generous,  fortunately.  And 
now  I  think  it  is  time  for  you  to  come  home.  You  belong 
to  my  world,  and  my  world  is  very  small.'* 

July  22. — "  Do  you  expect  me  to  write  a  nice  letter  to- 
day? Let  me  tell  you  that  you  can  be  glad  if  I  send 
you  any  letter  at  all !  However,  I  suppose  it  is  not  your 
fault  that  you  are  detained.  What  keeps  you?  Is  it 
the  water-works,  or  the  contractor,  or  the  mason  ?  Dormer 
und  BlitzenU  I  feel  like  letting  the  *  W ' alkueren-Ritt ' 
loose,  and  taking  the  first  cloud  that  comes  along  and 
riding  up  to  Felsengarten  to  give  those  fellows  a  duck- 
ing! Or  perhaps  they  are  on  a  strike,  and  since  they 
have  heard  the  outlandish  name  of  our  place,  think  we 
ought  to  pay  more? 

"  Peter  is  getting  quite  crazy  because  you  do  not  arrive. 
First  he  had  the  place,  and  your  garden  and  the  hedges 
all  trimmed  and  fresh  for  last  Saturday,  thinking  you 
would  be  home.  When  he  heard  from  me  that  you  were 
not  coming  before  Wednesday  he  exclaimed,  *  Oh,  fa- 
ther ! '  Then,  when  I  told  him  your  coming  was  post- 
poned till  Saturday  again,  he  gave  up.  He  says  '  every- 
thing will  grow  on  him  again.' 

"  Answering  your  question  in  regard  to  my  system  of 
uniform  bowing  in  the  orchestra ;  uniformity  of  bowing  is, 
in  my  opinion,  necessary  for  a  good  performance  of  or- 
chestral music.  The  bow  ought  to  be  to  the  vioh'nist  what 
the  breath  is  to  the  singer.  But  the  bowing  makes  the 
phrasing  of  a  composition,  and  is  therefore  dependent  on 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          451 

the  conception  of  the  conductor.  Nor  is  it  always  prac- 
tical for  dramatic  works  where  singers  constantly  change, 
and  the  tempo  is  influenced  by  the  quality  and  expression 
of  the  voice.  Is  this  what  you  wanted  to  know  ?  "  * 

The  little  cottage  in  the  White  Mountains  was 
finished  in  time  for  us  to  go  there  for  a  few  days 
before  returning  to  Chicago  and  try  the  new  kind 
of  life  we  had  planned  to  live  there.  It  was  not 
intended  to  be  a  home,  but  a  sort  of  camp  or 
bungalow  where  we  could  go  for  short  stays  from 
time  to  time  through  the  summer.  Our  domestic 
arrangements  were  of  the  simplest.  We  took  no 
servants  with  us,  but  cooked  our  own  breakfast 
and  supper,  and  drove  down  to  one  of  the  hotels 
in  the  village  for  dinner.  The  time  between 
meals  was  spent  out  of  doors,  working,  or  perhaps 
I  should  say,  playing  in  the  open  air.  The  place 
was  a  very  rough,  partly  wooded  tract  of  ground, 
strewn  with  giant  bowlders,  and  seamed  with  the 
outcropping  crests  of  foundation  rock.  It  was 
this  last  characteristic  which  suggested  its  name 
"  Felsengarten  "  (Rock  Garden),  for  even  before 
we  began  the  work  of  decoration  and  improve- 
ment, its  open  spaces  were  brilliant  with  the  blos- 
soms of  golden-rod,  asters,  wild  spirea,  and  daisies. 
The  place  was  so  high  on  the  mountain  side  that 
the  air  was  dry  and  clear,  and  the  woods  were 
chiefly  of  the  coniferous  trees,  so  that  it  was  an 

*  Thomas  was  the  first  to  introduce  uniform  bowing  into  the 
orchestra,  and  even  as  late  as  1895  when  we  were  in  Europe,  it  was 
not  in  use  in  the  great  orchestras  of  London,  Paris,  and  Berlin 
which  we  heard. 


452           MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ideal  place  in  which  to  conquer  catarrh.  Thomas 
had  never  before  lived  in  the  real  country — for 
even  the  Fairhaven  place  was  more  of  a  suburban 
than  a  country  residence — and  he  took  the  greatest 
delight  in  the  work  of  beautifying  this  little  spot  of 
ground  which  he  felt  was  so  peculiarly  his  own. 
In  winter,  when  he  was  tired  or  sleepless,  he  would 
calm  himself  by  planning  what  he  would  do  to  it 
during  the  following  summer,  and  when  the  sum- 
mer came  he  would  carry  out  his  design  with  his 
own  hands.  Although  he  had  never  done  anything 
of  this  kind  before,  his  general  design  for  the 
landscape  architecture  of  the  place  could  hardly 
be  improved  upon;  he  seemed  to  know  by  intuition 
just  what  was  the  most  appropriate  treatment  for 
every  corner  of  it,  and  to-day  it  is  the  Mecca  to 
which  many  tourists  come  every  summer  and 
revel  in  its  exquisite  beauty. 

From  henceforth  life  brightened  for  Thomas,  and 
with  the  exception  of  one  deep  grief,  which  came  to 
him  some  years  later  in  the  death  of  his  eldest  son, 
the  troubles  and  trials  of  his  life  were  over.  Some 
anxiety  and  much  hard  work,  it  is  true,  the  future 
still  had  in  store,  but  nothing  that  made  him  sad 
or  unhappy. 


CHAPTER  XX 

1895-1904 

THE  ORCHESTRAL  ASSOCIATION  STARTS  A  CHORUS  UNDER 
THE  DIRECTION  OF  ARTHUR  MEES A  PATRIOTIC  PER- 
FORMANCE OF  "  THE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER  " A 

SPECTACULAR    BENEFIT    CONCERT LETTERS    FROM    MAS- 
SENET   AND     DVORAK THOMAS    TAKES    THE    ORCHESTRA 

TO    NEW   YORK,    BOSTON,    AND    OTHER    EASTERN    CITIES 

PRESS    COMMENT    ON    THE    PERFORMANCES A    PLEASANT 

SOUTHERN  TRIP    (1900) A  MOUNTAIN   HOME A  GREAT 

CYCLE  OF  BEETHOVEN  PROGRAMMES A  HARD  SOUTHERN 

TRIP A    CYCLE    OF    HISTORICAL   PROGRAMMES    (1901) 

THE  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL  OF   1902 THOMAS  IS  INVITED 

TO     CONDUCT     AT     PARIS FREDERICK     A.     STOCK     IS     AP- 
POINTED      ASSISTANT        CONDUCTOR RICHARD       STRAUSS 

VISITS    CHICAGO THE   SEASONS   OF    1903   AND    1904 

THE  affairs  of  the  Association  looked  more 
hopeful,  at  the  close  of  the  season  of  1895-96,  and 
the  trustees  thought  they  might  now  venture  on 
starting  a  chorus,  similar  to  that  Thomas  had  had 
in  New  York,  for  the  same  class  of  musical  per- 
formance. When  he  returned  to  Chicago,  in  the 
fall  of  1896,  he  found  Arthur  Mees,  who  had  been 
engaged  as  his  assistant  conductor  and  chorus 
director,  hard  at  work  rehearsing  the  new  chorus 
and  preparing  it  for  performances  to  be  given 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  season.  But,  although 
the  chorus  would  not  be  ready  for  its  official 
debut  for  some  months  to  come,  Thomas,  never- 

453 


454          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

theless,  utilized  it  in  the  second  concert  of  the 
season,  but  in  such  a  way  that  no  one  in  the  audi- 
ence knew  it  was  there.  The  circumstances  of 
this  concert  were  peculiar.  It  was  to  take  place 
on  the  eve  of  a  presidential  election  over  which 
there  was  the  most  intense  popular  excitement.  As 
a  stimulant  to  the  patriotism  of  the  Chicago  men, 
Thomas  was  asked  to  play  "  The  Star-spangled 
Banner  "  on  the  Saturday  night  programme.  It 
was  too  late  to  change  the  programme,  which  had 
already  been  printed,  but  Thomas  consented  to 
add  it  after  the  close  of  the  concert.  The  last 
piece  on  the  programme  happened  to  be  Masse- 
net's quiet  and  almost  ethereal  Suite,  "  Les 
Erinnyes,"  and  the  audience,  one  which  completely 
filled  the  great  Auditorium.  As  no  one  was  expect- 
ing the  added  number,  Thomas  had  to  do  some- 
thing to  keep  the  people  in  their  seats  while  he 
accomplished  the  difficult  transition  from  the  music 
of  a  Greek  drama  to  that  of  an  American 
patriotic  scene.  In  this  emergency,  he  bethought 
him  of  the  device  he  had  employed  at  the  open- 
ing ceremonies  of  the  World's  Fair.  His  new 
chorus  were  seated  in  the  front  rows  of  the  par- 
quet, to  lead  the  singing  of  the  audience,  and  a 
drum  corps  was  placed  on  the  stage  behind  the 
orchestra.  As  the  last  strains  of  the  Massenet 
Suite  were  still  vibrating  on  the  strings,  the  drums 
began  a  double  roll  so  softly  that  it  was  barely 
audible.  Louder,  louder,  and  still  louder  it  rose, 
till  every  heart  began  to  beat  wildly  with  excite- 
ment, wondering  what  was  coming  next.  At  last 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          455 

the  moment  of  climax  was  reached,  and  then 
Thomas  turned  toward  the  audience,  motioned  to 
them  to  rise  and  sing,  and,  with  the  full  power 
of  the  orchestra,  the  great  organ,  the  chorus,  and 
the  five  thousand  people  of  the  audience,  all  join- 
ing together  in  one  stupendous  maelstrom  of 
sound,  "  The  Star-spangled  Banner "  was  given 
such  a  performance  as  is  not  often  heard.  Many 
people  were  in  tears  before  it  was  over,  and  when 
Thomas  held  aloft  both  hands  to  sustain  through 
the  full  measure  its  final  glorious  chord,  the  sing- 
ing was  merged  in  a  great  shout — cheer  on  cheer 
echoing  through  the  hall.  So  profound  was  the 
effect  of  this  performance  that,  since  that  night, 
Chicago  audiences  always  rise,  and  remain  stand- 
ing, when  "  The  Star-spangled  Banner  "  is  either 
played  or  sung  in  concert. 

Meantime  the  financial  improvement  of  the 
previous  spring  had  evaporated,  and  the  Asso- 
ciation found  itself  as  far  as  ever  from  the  solu- 
tion of  its  problem  of  self-support.  There  were 
not  lacking  people  who  attributed  the  empty  seats 
at  the  concerts  to  the  severity  of  the  programmes, 
and  clamored  for  more  popular  music.  This  was 
brought  to  the  ears  of  Thomas,  and,  knowing  full 
well  the  difficulties  under  which  the  trustees  were 
carrying  on  the  work,  he  decided  to  lay  the  follow- 
ing communication  before  them  at  one  of  the 
meetings  of  the  Board: 

"  Gentlemen :  In  view  of  the  recent  statements  of  our 
manager,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  urge  upon  you  the  con- 


456          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

sideration  of  certain  points,  before  we  make  contracts,  or 
enter  upon  plans  for  continuing,  during  the  coming  year, 
the  work  so  nobly  started  by  you  in  this  city. 

"  First,  however,  let  me  remind  you  that  in  no  city  in 
the  world  is  there  an  annual  series  of  forty-eight  orches- 
tral concerts  of  the  highest  class  attended  by  so  large  an 
average  audience  as  that  which  patronizes  the  concerts 
of  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Association.  In  no  city  in 
the  world  is  there  an  orchestra  of  the  size  and  perfection 
of  ours,  maintained  without  a  large  subsidy  in  addition  to 
the  box-office  receipts.  And  in  no  other  city  in  the  world, 
except  Boston,  is  there  such  an  orchestra  maintained 
exclusively  for  concert  purposes.  Hence  we  may  conclude 
that  the  Chicago  public  has  shown  its  readiness  to  support 
its  orchestra  and  attend  the  concerts  in  a  ratio  greater 
than  that  shown  by  the  people  of  the  great  European  art 
centers,  and  certainly  in  as  great  a  ratio  as  can  reasonably 
be  expected  at  the  present  time. 

"  After  spending  more  than  forty  years  of  my  life  in 
making  orchestral  programmes  for  the  American  public — 
during  nearly  thirty  of  which  I  have  given  concerts  in  Chi- 
cago— it  is  my  firm  and  unalterable  belief  that  the  better 
and  higher  the  work  offered  to  the  American  people,  the 
more  readily  they  will  support  it.  And  they  will  absolutely 
not  support  any  art  work  which  is  of  inferior  quality  or 
standard.  No  radical  change  in  the  programmes  therefore 
would,  in  my  judgment,  be  of  any  avail  in  selling  our 
tickets,  or  raising  our  subscription  fund.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  howl  which  the  critics  of  Eastern  papers  would 
instantly  raise  over  the  inferior  standard  of  our  pro- 
grammes, would  react  upon  our  guarantors  and  subscribers 
in  the  most  disastrous  manner.  Furthermore,  the  Chi- 
cago public  is  itself  too  enlightened  now  to  give  its  sup- 
port to  any  series  of  concerts  of  which  the  programmes 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          457 

were  made  in  accordance  with  the  taste  of  the  ignorant 
only.  Such,  at  least,  is  my  judgment  after  many  years 
of  experience.  Nor  would  I  be  willing  personally,  for  the 
few  remaining  years  of  my  public  career,  to  adopt  a 
standard  of  art  inferior  to  that  which  it  has  been  the  one 
object  of  my  whole  life  to  establish. 

"  Such  being  the  case,  it  is  evident  that  while  I  continue 
to  be  the  musical  director  of  the  Association,  no  radical 
change  in  its  musical  policy  can  possibly  take  place.  But 
I  feel,  at  the  same  time,  that  I  have  no  right  to  force 
my  individual  opinions  upon  you,  knowing,  as  I  do,  the 
heavy  financial  burden  its  maintenance  involves.  This  you 
have  borne  cheerfully  for  six  years,  and  I  therefore  wish 
to  state  that  if  you  feel  that  the  Association  can  no  longer 
be  maintained  upon  so  high  an  artistic  plane  as  heretofore, 
I  am  ready  at  any  moment  to  resign  my  position  as  musical 
director,  and  give  you  the  opportunity  to  try  the  experi- 
ment of  interesting  the  public  more  generally  by  popu- 
larizing the  programmes. 

"  I  make  the  above  statement  in  all  friendship  and  kindly 
feeling  for  all  with  whom  it  has  been  my  pleasure  and 
privilege  to  have  been  associated  in  our  mutual  work  in 
this  city.  I  know  that  it  is  your  endeavor  as  well  as  my 
own  to  establish  a  great  art  institution  here,  and  if  we 
have  not  been  able  to  make  it  permanent,  it  is  because 
the  time  is  not  yet  ripe  for  it.  I  hope  you  will  now  feel 
perfectly  free  to  take  any  course  you  think  best  for  the 
welfare  of  the  orchestra.  In  closing  I  beg  you  to  accept 
my  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  cordial  sympathy 
and  support  with  which  you  have  honored  me  during  the 
six  years  of  our  association." 

To  the  surprise  of  Thomas  the  trustees  of  the 
Association  simply  scoffed  at  the  idea  of  popu- 


458          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

larizing  the  programmes  or  lowering  the  stand- 
ard of  the  institution  in  any  particular,  nor  would 
they  hear  of  his  resigning.  They  did,  however, 
recognize  the  need  of  some  special  effort  to  raise 
money  for  the  work,  and  as  a  preliminary  to  this 
they  published,  toward  the  end  of  the  season, 
the  following  summary  of  the  financial  history  of 
the  orchestra: 

**  For  the  information  of  the  friends  of  the  orchestra, 
the  trustees  herewith  submit  the  following  statement: 

"  It  was  never  proposed  that  the  orchestra  should  be  a 
money-making  organization,  and  though  not  extrava- 
gantly managed,  it  has  not  been  carried  on  as  such.  Its 
necessary  expenses  have  exceeded  box-office  receipts  every 
year,  and  every  year  it  has  received,  at  first  from  its 
guarantors,  latterly  from  its  governing  members  (a  dif- 
ferent name  for  the  same  good  friends),  a  heavy  donation, 
never  quite  sufficient,  however,  to  cover  the  loss.  A  deficit 
has,  therefore,  accumulated  as  follows: 

Loss  first  season,  1891-2 $53,907.99 

Paid  by  guarantors 49,000.00 

Carried  forward $  4,907.99 

Loss  second  season,  1892-3 51,381.18 

$56,289.17 
Paid  by  guarantors .  . . .      49,000.00 

Carried  forward $  7,289.17 

Loss  third  season,  1893-4 48,972.21 

$56,261.38 

Paid  by  guarantors $49,000.00 

Paid  by   guarantors,   extra   sub- 
scription  ,..,...       7,261.38     56,261.38 

Carried  forward. , $      000.00 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          459 

Loss  fourth  season,  1894-5 .      34,474.02 

Uncollectable  accounts  charged  off 1,436.80 

$35,910.82 
Paid  by  governing  members ., 30,850.00 

Carried  forward , , $  5,060.82 

Loss  fifth  season,  1895-6. 27,159.73 

$32,220.55 
Paid  by  governing  members ,.-..i 23,700.00 

Carried   forward $  8,520.55 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  each  year  hitherto  the  loss  has 
been  reduced;  yet  nevertheless  the  orchestra  commenced 
the  current  season  (1896-7)  over  $8,500  in  debt,  and  it 
is  evident  that  the  acute  business  depression  of  the  last 
few  months  will  result  in  a  loss  at  least  as  great  as  last 
year's  ($27,000),  against  which  governing  members  have 
pledged  about  $23,000.  By  the  end  of  the  season,  there- 
fore, the  association  will  owe  upwards  of  $13,000,  a  debt 
dangerous  to  the  life  of  the  institution. 

"  The  trustees  believe  that  there  are  in  Chicago  many 
hundred  men  and  women  of  public  spirit,  lovers  of  music 
and  friends  of  the  orchestra,  who  need  but  the  knowledge 
of  the  emergency  and  the  opportunity  of  meeting  it  te 
prove  their  interest  and  give  their  powerful  support.  To 
all  such  the  trustees  confidently  appeal  for  aid  in  one  or 
more  of  the  following  ways — viz. : 

"  By  their  subscriptions  to  and  presence  at  the  prome- 
nade concert. 

"  By  season  subscriptions  to  the  concerts  next  year. 

"  By  becoming  governing  members  of  the  association." 

Following  this  report,  came  the  announcement 
of  a  spectacular  benefit  concert,  which  it  was  hoped 
would  go  far  towards  clearing  off  the  little  debt  of 


460          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

$8,000,  and  which  would  easily  have  done  so  had 
it  been  well  managed.  This  concert  was  of  the 
"  Promenade  "  class,  and  was  so  beautiful  in  both 
design  and  execution  that  it  deserves  a  detailed 
description.  It  was  divided  into  three  sections :  the 
first,  orchestral;  the  second,  choral,  and  the  third, 
devoted  to  the  dance.  The  seats  were  taken  out  of 
the  parquet  of  the  Auditorium  and  a  ballroom 
floor  was  laid.  A  low  stage  for  the  orchestra  was 
built  somewhat  out  from  the  end  of  the  hall,  and 
the  audience  sat  in  the  boxes  and  balconies.  The 
first  part  of  the  programme  served  to  fill  up  the 
time  while  the  audience  was  assembling,  and  to 
prepare  for  what  was  to  follow.  Then  came  a  long 
intermission  for  conversation.  The  second  part 
was  to  be  choral,  but  when  Thomas  raised  the 
baton  for  the  March  from  "  Tannhaeuser,"  there 
was  no  chorus  to  be  seen,  nor  any  apparent  pro- 
vision for  their  accommodation  on  the  stage.  As 
the  first  note  of  the  Tannehaeuser  March  sounded, 
however,  two  large  doors  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
hall  were  thrown  open,  and  through  them  entered  a 
double  procession  of  white-robed  women,  followed 
by  an  equal  number  of  men  in  the  conventional 
"  uniform "  of  evening  dress.  The  two  proces- 
sions encircled  the  hall,  and  finally  came  to  a  stand 
in  front  of  the  stage,  where  they  sang  their  num- 
bers, retiring  after  they  were  ended  in  the  same 
manner,  to  the  strains  of  the  March  from  "  Lohen- 
grin." Then  followed  another  intermission,  and 
then  the  last  part  of  the  programme,  devoted  to 
dancing.  Like  the  others,  it  opened  with  a  bril- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          461 

liant  march,  and  again  the  doors  were  thrown 
open  to  admit  a  double  procession.  This  time, 
however,  it  was  composed  of  many  handsome 
young  society  belles  and  beaux,  dressed  in  the 
picturesque  costume  of  a  bygone  age.  Powdered 
hair,  patches,  satin,  brocade,  velvet,  and  lace 
shimmered  into  the  great  hall,  as  the  dancers 
moved  with  slow  and  stately  grace  to  take  their 
places  for  the  Court  Minuet.  It  was  a  wonder- 
fully beautiful  spectacle,  and  exceedingly  well 
carried  out  in  all  its  details.  After  the  Minuet 
Thomas  did  something  that  he  never  did,  before 
or  after,  in  his  life,  conducting  three  numbers 
for  everyone  to  dance  by,  and  for  half  an  hour  the 
concert  was  converted  into  a  brilliant  ball.  This 
last  feature  was  not  added  to  the  programme 
without  some  protest  on  the  part  of  the  orchestra, 
who  felt  that  it  was  beneath  their  dignity  to 
play  for  dancing.  To  this  Thomas  replied  curtly: 
'  Those  who  object  to  playing  for  these  dances 
may  stay  away,  but  I  shall  be  there  and  conduct 
them,  whether  there  are  any  of  the  orchestra  there 
to  play  or  not."  As  may  be  imagined,  after  this 
every  man  was  in  his  place  when  the  evening  came. 
In  fact,  Thomas  saw  nothing  derogatory  to  the 
dignity  of  the  Association  or  his  own  artistic 
standing,  in  giving  an  occasional  spectacular  pro- 
gramme to  raise  money  for  the  cause.  He  did 
it  on  several  occasions,  and  would  take  as  much 
trouble  to  plan  such  a  programme  effectively, 
as  any  other.  His  innate  sense  of  harmony  and 
perfection  would  not  let  him  slight  anything 


462          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

that  he  took  in  hand,  and  he  even  enjoyed  plan- 
ning something  of  this  sort,  once  in  a  while,  just 
to  show  what  he  could  do  in  a  line  so  different 
from  his  own.  The  programme  of  the  concert 
just  described  is  a  good  example  of  his  work  of 
this  class,  and  is  well  worth  studying  for  its  ar- 
tistic completeness,  the  harmony  of  its  parts,  the 
appropriateness  of  its  selections,  and  the  steady 
crescendo  of  its  interest,  which  worked  the  audience 
up  to  a  more  and  more  vivid  excitement  until  it 
culminated  in  their  all  taking  part  themselves  in 
the  final  numbers: 

PROMENADE  CONCERT 

GIVEN  FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  THE  CHICAGO 
ORCHESTRA 

APRIL  27,  1897 

Jubilee  Overture . ., Weber 

Dances  from  Suite  "  Henry  VIII  " .German 

Polonaise,  op.  53,  A  flat.  ........ Chopin-Thomas 

Intermission 

March  and  Chorus,  "  Tannhaeuser  " ,...,.  .Wagner 

Introduction  and  Bridal  Chorus,  "Lohengrin  ".  .Wagner 

March,   "  Lohengrin  " ,. ...... .Wagner 

Chorus  and  Orchestra 

Intermission 
March,  "  Triumphant  Entrance  of  the  Boyards," 

Halvorsen 

Minuet,  "  Don  Giovanni  w. ........ .1 Mozart 

Danced  by  Thirty  Couples  in  Court  Costume 

Waltz,  "  On  the  Beautiful  Blue  Danube  " Strauss 

Waltz,  "Artists'  Life". . , Strauss 

Polka   Schnell. ... ... .,. , Strauss 

General  Dancing 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          463 

The  summer  season  was,  as  usual,  passed  be- 
tween the  seashore  and  mountain  places,  and  the 
dry  clear  atmosphere  of  the  latter,  with  its  health- 
giving  out-of-door  work  by  day,  and  long  nights 
of  sound,  quiet  sleep,  again  worked  miracles  on 
both  catarrh  and  rheumatism.  The  latter,  indeed, 
was  permanently  cured,  and  never  troubled 
Thomas  again,  but  the  catarrh  was  not  so  easily 
conquered,  and  although  it  yielded  temporarily, 
and  seemed  to  be  cured  every  summer,  a  few 
weeks  in  the  Chicago  climate  brought  it  quickly 
back  again.  At  last  the  predictions  of  the  doc- 
tors began  to  be  verified,  and  Thomas  noticed, 
with  sad  forebodings,  that  the  hearing  of  his  right 
ear  was  growing  dull. 

A  composer  whose  works  often  appeared  on  the 
programmes  of  Thomas,  and  who  was  peculiarly 
warm  in  his  appreciation  of  it,  was  Massenet. 
His  little  notes  of  thanks  were  very  brief,  but 
quite  characteristic.  The  following  was  received 
from  him  in  August,  in  acknowledgment  of  some 
programmes  on  which  Thomas  had  placed,  for 
the  first  time,  his  Suite  ff  Les  Erinnyes  " : 

AT         m  rr.  PARIS,    August,    1897- 

MR.  THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Dear  and  great  Master: 

I  am  touched  and  very,  very  much  honored  by  your 
attention.  Accept  all  my  acknowledgments.  My  thanks 

also  for  the  programmes. 

MASSENET. 

French  music  appealed  very  sympathetically  to 
Thomas,  and  he  played  it  a  great  deal.  He  loved 
its  beauty  of  finish,  and  its  masterly  orchestration, 


464          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

and  held  in  the  highest  esteem  the  many  French 
composers  and  musicians  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. It  was  always  a  source  of  much  regret  to  him 
that  he  had  not  had  time  in  his  busy  life  to  learn 
to  speak  their  language,  so  that  he  could  have  had 
the  same  delightful  intercourse  with  them  as  with 
the  composers  of  other  nationalities,  most  of  whom 
spoke  either  German  or  English.  But  in  spite  of 
his  very  limited  knowledge  of  French,  Thomas, 
nevertheless,  contrived  to  have  some  pleasant 
evenings  with  his  French  friends.  One  of  these 
at  which  Cesar  Thomson  had  been  his  guest, 
was  described  to  Paderewski  by  Thomson  after 
his  return  home :  "  What  language  did  you  and 
Thomas  speak?"  asked  Paderewski  with  some 
curiosity.  (f  Folapuk"  promptly  replied  the  ready 
Frenchman. 

Another  composer  who  sent  an  appreciative 
word  to  Thomas  at  this  time  was  the  great  Bo- 
hemian Dvorak,  who  was  then  the  Musical  Di- 
rector of  the  National  Conservatory  of  New 
York.  Dvorak  had  been  to  Chicago  and  directed 
the  Thomas  Orchestra  in  concerts  of  his  own 
works  at  the  World's  Fair,  and  knew  that 
Thomas  had  played  everything  that  he  had  ever 
written  for  many  years.  In  1897  Thomas  wished 
to  have  him  come  again  to  the  Western  metropolis, 
and  conduct  his  own  works,  and  the  answer  was  as 
follows : 

My  dear  Mr.  THomas:  NEW  YoRK'  Oct'  21»  1897' 

I  sincerely  ask  your  pardon  for  coming  so  late  with 
my  answer  to  your  kind  letter,  but  I  have  been  so  occupied 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          465 

with  my  concerts  and  my  change  of  residence  this  whole 
week  that  I  could  not  make  the  time  to  reply  before. 

Now  to  the  point.  It  would  please  me  much  to  be  able 
to  direct  some  of  my  works  in  Chicago,  but  I  cannot  do 
so  without  the  permission  of  Mrs.  Thurber.  Please  wait 
a  little  until  the  secretary  of  the  Conservatory  writes  you, 
and  then  I  shall  be  able  to  decide. 

Meantime  please  accept  my  heartiest  thanks  for  all  that 
you  have  done  for  me  and  my  art  in  this  important  country. 
Gratefully  and  sincerely  yours, 

ANTON  DVORAK. 

This  concert  was  not,  however,  destined  to  take 
place,  and  Dvorak  returned  to  Bohemia  without 
again  visiting  Chicago  a  second  time. 

The  winter  season  of  this  last  year  of  the  cen- 
tury, like  that  of  two  years  before,  was  full  of 
preparations  for  a  second  tour  to  the  great  musical 
centers  of  the  East,  in  March.  This  time,  not 
only  New  York,  but  Boston  was  to  be  visited, 
and  it  was  with  mingled  feelings  of  pleasure  and 
anxiety  that  Thomas  looked  forward  to  conduct- 
ing in  the  New  England  musical  stronghold.  It 
was  sixteen  years  since  he  had  given  a  concert 
there;  meantime,  as  he  said:  "  Children  had  been 
born  and  grown  to  a  concert-going  age,"  and  the 
general  public — always  musically  cultivated — had 
been  trained  to  the  nicest  discrimination  through 
the  weekly  performances  of  a  Symphony  orchestra 
in  no  way  inferior  to  his  own.  In  view  of  the 
ordeal  of  playing  there,  the  ordeal  of  New  York 
was  forgotten. 

This  important  concert  tour  was  the  only  event 


466          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  special  interest  during  the  season  of  1897-98. 
Thomas  took  with  him,  as  before,  the  full  strength 
of  the  orchestra,  and  the  route  included,  besides 
New  York  and  Boston,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
Washington,  and  several  minor  places.  Of  course 
the  two  first-named  cities  were  its  chief  objective 
points.  As  before,  the  welcome  of  New  York  was 
that  of  the  public  rather  than  the  press.  The 
latter  were  divided,  some  were  friendly,  others 
hostile,  but  the  welcome  of  the  people  was  not  to 
be  mistaken.  It  was  described  as  follows,  by  the 
musical  critic  of  Harper's  Weekly. 

"  The  Chicago  Orchestra  and  Mr.  Thomas  have  reason 
to  feel  proud  of  their  welcome  here.  The  audience  at  the 
opening  concert  on  Tuesday  evening  of  last  week  was 
packed  with  the  very  pith  of  our  town's  real  musical  cul- 
ture; and  along  with  it  was  a  large  addition  of  the  less 
specially  perceptive  listeners.  Plainly,  to  each  class  the 
name  of  Mr.  Thomas  was  obviously  a  conjuring  one,  as 
ever.  And  what  a  burst  of  greeting — downright,  sponta- 
neous, sincere,  one  might  write  affectionate — as  he  came 
before  us  again ! — that  familiar  presence,  not  older  by  an 
inch  of  girth  or  the  loss  of  a  hair.  The  veteran  conductor 
is  serene  as  ever  in  the  dignity  of  one  who  seems  to  have 
decided  a  few  years  ago  to  grow  only  elderly — and  to  stop 
there  once  for  all.  It  was  a  great  welcome.  No  other 
conductor  could  command  in  New  York  just  that  sort  of 
a  reception.  Does  Mr.  Thomas  still  believe  that  New  York 
neglected  him  and  drove  him  away?  He  cannot  point  to 
any  rival  we  have  better  served.  In  any  case  there  is  none 
whose  personal  magnetism  with  our  public  abides  more 
indisputable.  The  concert  was  what  one  expected — an 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          467 

object-lesson  as  to  what  rich  ensemble-perfectness  a  per- 
manent, well-balanced  orchestra  (even  if  not  one  of  all- 
round  exceptional  material)  can  attain,  by  learning  and  by 
minding  only  its  own  business;  and  by  doing  so  under  a 
great  director's  continued  care.  Of  the  Chicago  men 
have  been  spoken  good  words  here  before  now.  But  when 
here  before  now  the  large  band  was  less  fortunate  in  its 
rank  and  file.  Now  it  is  strengthened  by  certain  new  mem- 
bers, especially.  It  is  vastly  firmer  in  splendid  unanimity, 
in  its  solid  tone,  its  elegance  of  shading — all  traits  to  be 
perfected  only  by  seasons  of  work.  Its  strings — at  least 
the  violins — often  seem  singularly  without  brilliancy  and 
resonance — what  some  French  musicians  call  "  legs."  Even 
in  a  fortissimo  they  do  not  stand  out  with  authority  in  the 
body  of  sound.  But  there  are  many  things  in  an  or- 
chestra far  more  needed  than  brilliancy.  Yes,  this  Chicago 
band,  as  it  is  to-day,  has  few  peers.  It  is  a  noble  and 
expressive  corps,  even  if  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra 
outdoes  it  in  fiddles  and  fire.  Would  it  were  ours ! — this 
said  without  prejudice  to  what  we  have.  It  is  a  long  time 
since  we  have  had  so  shaded,  so  round,  so  wholly  Bee- 
thovenish  and  classic  an  interpretation  of  Beethoven's 
C-major  Symphony.  Moreover,  Richard  Strauss'  *  Don 
Juan '  poem  was  played  really  magnificently.  As  to  the 
conducting,  it  was — as  in  so  many  former  years — the  kind 
that  accomplishes  all  its  work  while  veiling  its  dominancy 
over  every  man  under  its  spell.  Mr.  Thomas  has  not  lost 
that  sensitiveness  and  knowledge,  that  half-disguised  or 
seemingly  careless  eloquence  of  arm  and  eye,  which  used 
to  mean  such  great  leading  of  classics  that  we  all  under- 
stood why  they  were  immortal.  The  evening  was  a  tri- 
umph for  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  and  a  welcome  to  the 
director  of  it  which  must  have  moved  even  Mr.  Thomas  at 
least  a  trifle." — Harper's  Weekly,  March  10,  1898. 


468          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

But  if  the  New  York  season  was  successful, 
that  of  Boston  was  a  triumph.  Only  three  con- 
certs were  given  there,  in  the  old  Music  Hall 
of  happy  memory — now  no  longer  the  home  of  the 
muse  who  was  its  presiding  genius  for  so  many 
years.  Boston  has  always  had  good  musical 
writers  on  its  press,  but  at  this  time  the  musical 
departments  of  three  of  its  daily  papers  were  in 
the  hands  of  three  of  the  ablest  and  most  discrimi- 
nating critics  America  has  ever  known — Messrs. 
Wolfe,  Hale,  and  Apthorp.  The  notices  of  these 
eminent  writers  were  in  the  nature  of  a  careful 
and  thorough  analysis  of  Thomas  as  a  conductor; 
of  his  artistic  methods  and  achievements,  and  of 
the  orchestra  under  his  command.  Space  does 
not  permit  me  to  give  all  of  them,  but  I  have 
selected  one  or  two  from  each  writer,  and,  col- 
lectively, they  give  an  accurate  description  of  the 
Chicago  Orchestra  at  its  best,  and  of  Thomas  as 
an  interpreter  and  conductor  at  this  the  culminat- 
ing period  of  his  artistic  maturity: 

FIRST  CONCERT 

"  The  programme  of  the  first  of  three  concerts  by  the 
Chicago  Orchestra,  Theodore  Thomas,  conductor,  given 
in  Music  Hall  last  evening,  was  as  follows: 

Symphony,  G  minor  (Koechel  550) .Mozart 

Concerto  for  violin,  E  flat  (Koechel  268) Mozart 

M.  Ysaye 

Overture,  *  Coriolanus,'  op.  62 Beethoven 

Tone  poem,  *  Don  Juan,'  op.  20.  ......  .Richard  Strauss 

Symphonie  Espagnole,   op.   21 .  . ...  .  . ...  .  .  .Lalo 

(For  violin  and  orchestra) 
Vorspiel,   *  Lohengrin  '.  ... .  .1.  ..,..., ,. ...  .  .Wagner 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          469 

"  Mr.  Thomas  may  well  be  proud  of  his  orchestra,  and 
the  Chicago  Orchestra  may  well  be  proud  of  its  leader. 

"  The  hearty  and  prolonged  applause  that  greeted  him 
when  he  appeared  on  the  stage  was  only  a  slight  evidence 
of  the  deep  affection  and  respect  in  which  he  is  held  by 
the  musical  public  of  this  city.  Interest  in  him  was  not 
abated  when  he  gave  up  visiting  Boston  as  a  conductor. 
His  career  has  been  watched,  his  success  applauded  by 
those  who  recognize  what  he  made  and  what  he  is  still 
making  for  musical  righteousness  in  this  country.  It 
may  be  many  years  before  the  history  of  music  in  the 
United  States  will  be  written.  When  it  is  written,  the  most 
prominent,  the  dominating  figure  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
so  far  as  this  country  is  concerned,  will  be  Theodore 
Thomas. 

"  The  years  have  frosted  his  hair,  but  his  figure  is  as 
erect,  his  bearing  as  graceful,  his  quiet  authority  as  su- 
preme as  when  he  first  visited  us.  I  know  of  no  conductor 
who  has  such  despotic  control  over  his  men  and  at  the 
same  time  commands  so  imperceptibly.  His  repose  is  so 
absolute  that  to  the  careless  observer  the  conductor  seems 
almost  indifferent,  but  a  look  at  his  men  brings  forth  a 
nuance  when  another  would  indulge  in  semaphoric  ges- 
ture. The  secret  of  all  this  is  simple:  The  men  are  thor- 
oughly rehearsed  before  they  appear  in  public.  They 
know  what  they  are  expected  to  do;  they  do  it;  and  they 
could  not  do  it  otherwise.  Hence  there  is  no  frantic  ap- 
peal; wild  beckoning,  excited  glare  from  the  leader  when 
all  are  before  the  audience.  Mr.  Thomas  reminds  them 
he  is  there;  the  army  is  eager  to  follow  the  general. 

"  Now  I  do  not  propose  to  talk  in  detail  to-day  about 
an  orchestra  that  I  have  heard  only  once.  There  are 
two  more  concerts,  and  we  can  all  judge  more  clearly  of 
merits  after  another  hearing.  It  is  enough  at  present  to 


470          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

make  a  few  observations  concerning  the  performance  of 
last  night. 

"  I  have  never  heard  in  this  country  or  in  Europe  so 
admirably  balanced,  so  beautifully  phrased,  so  discreetly 
colored,  so  thoroughly  musical  a  performance  of  Mozart's 
immortal  symphony  as  that  led  by  Mr.  Thomas  last  night. 
There  was  an  unerring  sense  of  proportion ;  there  was  the 
subordination  of  wind  to  strings,  and  strings  to  wind 
whenever  such  subordination  was  in  the  mind  of  the  com- 
poser; there  was  the  fitting,  the  inevitable,  the  only  pace, 
not  a  matter  of  experiment,  but  as  predestinated  and  sure 
as  the  movement  of  the  stars.  Nor  was  there  merely  a 
cold,  anatomical,  impeccable,  pedagogic  spirit  that  set  a 
machine  agoing  and  then  stopped  it.  The  spirit  that 
acted  as  interpreter  was  a  lover  of  Mozart  as  well  as  a 
student  of  that  much-abused  composer;  an  intelligent, 
masterly,  virile  lover,  whose  strength  was  shown  in  deli- 
cacy, whose  affection  never  descended  to  sugared  compli- 
ments, and  airs  and  graces. 

"  Equally  admirable  was  the  strength  of  the  reading  and 
the  performance  of  the  *  Coriolanus '  overture.  The 
austerity  of  the  opening  was  Roman.  The  entreaty  of  the 
second  theme  was  again  Roman,  dignified,  not  hys- 
terical. 

"  And  I  confess  that  the  performance  of  Strauss'  *  Don 
Juan,'  which  was  first  played  here  under  Mr.  Nikisch  in 
the  fall  of  1891,  shook  mightily  the  prejudice  I  had  enter- 
tained against  this  tone-picture  of  the  career  and  medita- 
tions of  the  hero  whose  life  was  spent  in  search  of  the 
ideal  woman.  The  opening  pages  of  the  allegro  molto 
con  brio  were  taken  with  great  spirit,  with  brilliance  of 
sonority,  and  at  the  same  time  with  solidity  of  volume,  so 
that  the  effect  was  electric.  And  there  were  details  in 
this  same  performance  that  should  call  forth  purple  praise, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          471 

but  the  night  editor  is  inexorable,  and  space  is  limited.  .  . " 
— Boston  Journal,  March  23,  1898. 

SECOND  CONCERT 

"  The  second  concert  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  in  Music 
Hall  attracted  a  very  large  audience.  The  programme 
was: 

Suite,  No.  3,  D  major. Bach 

Symphony,  No.  2,  D  major,  op.  73 .Brahms 

Scene  and  aria,    '  Ah !  Perfido  '  .  .1 Beethoven 

Bacchanale,  '  Tannhaeuser  ' /...•.  .Wagner 

Prelude  and  Isolden's  Liebestod,  '  Tristan  and  Isolde,' 

Wagner 

"  The  orchestra  fully  sustained  the  fine  impression  it 
made  on  Tuesday  evening;  in  fact,  intensified  it.  The 
strings  came  out  more  brilliantly  and  with  a  larger  effect, 
and  the  wood  wind  was  less  timid.  It  seemed  as  if  both 
Mr.  Thomas  and  his  players  had  gauged  the  acoustics 
of  the  hall  more  thoroughly,  and  this  better  acquaintance 
resulted  in  a  more  compactly  solid  body  of  tone.  The 
interpretation  of  the  interesting  and  singularly  well- 
balanced  programme  was  splendid  throughout.  Mr. 
Thomas'  conducting,  in  its  ease,  its  unobtrusiveness,  and 
its  repose,  was  again  a  constant  satisfaction.  It  was  none 
the  less  effective  for  the  relentless  self-repression  that 
marked  it.  Nothing  of  warmth  nor  of  flexibility  was  lost 
by  this  method;  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  players  was 
not  damped  because  they  were  not  goaded. 

"  The  Bach  suite  was  read  with  noble  breadth  of  style 
and  purity  of  taste.  Especially  beautiful  was  the  chaste 
simplicity  with  which  the  familiar  second  movement  was 
given.  The  bourree  and  the  gigue  were  read  with  stirring 
spirit.  In  the  gavotte  the  high  notes  of  the  trumpet  came 


472          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

out  with  a  firmness  and  a  precision  that  are  rarely  ac- 
corded them.  The  whole  seemed  to  be  the  very  perfection 
of  Bach  interpretation. 

"  The  reading  of  the  Brahms  symphony  in  its  clearness, 
its  self-consistency,  the  beauty  with  which  every  point 
was  emphasized,  the  keen  sympathy  for  the  work  in  its 
every  phase  of  expression,  was  as  perfect  in  its  way  as 
was  the  notable  reading  of  the  Mozart  symphony  at  the 
previous  concert.  The  finish  was  of  the  highest,  but  noth- 
ing of  largeness  in  sentiment  was  sacrificed. 

"  The  phrasing  throughout  was  wonderful,  particularly 
in  the  slow  movement,  where  it  is  fairly  exquisite.  Beauty 
of  phrasing  seems  to  be  instinctive  with  Mr.  Thomas.  He 
is  never  at  fault  here,  and  the  charm  of  it  makes  itself 
steadily  felt.  Another  striking  feature  in  him  is  the  skill 
with  which  he  preserves  the  flow  of  the  music,  thus  keep- 
ing its  meaning  always  clear,  instead  of  confusing  it  by 
hysterical  spasms  of  pseudo-emotion.  The  finale  of  the 
symphony  was  read  and  played  with  magnificent  spirit, 
and  in  the  closing  climax  the  capabilities  of  the  wind- 
instrument  players  was  convincingly  shown  by  the  pre- 
cision of  accent  with  which  they  acquitted  themselves  of 
their  difficult  task,  this  portion  of  the  movement  being 
taken  at  a  tremendous  pace.  The  whole  work  has  never 
been  more  splendidly  given  here  than  it  was  last  night,  nor 
has  a  performance  of  it  been  applauded  with  more  enthusi- 
astic sincerity. 

"  The  '  Tannhaeuser  '  bacchanale  was  rendered  with  stir- 
ring brilliancy  and  richness  and  variety  of  tone  color. 
Here,  as  in  the  *  Tristan  and  Isolde '  selections,  the  unity, 
the  compact  closeness,  and  the  firm  sostenuto  of  the  brass 
were  as  impressive  as  they  were  unusual.  There  are  noth- 
ing but  superlatives  of  praise  for  the  interpretations  of 
the  Tristan  prelude  and  the  Isolden's  Liebestod.  The 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          473 

climaxes  were  worked  up  to  with  masterly  power,  and 
when  they  were  reached  the  effect  was  overwhelming.  Mr. 
Thomas'  crescendos  are  always  admirably  prepared;  they 
are  begun  far  enough  back,  and  their  growth  is  steady 
until  they  culminate  with  enormous  effect.  Even  when 
his  orchestra  is  most  demonstrative  the  result  is  never 
noise,  never  confusion ;  it  is  always  musical.  The  fire  with 
which  the  Liebestod  was  given  in  its  more  impassioned 
moments  almost  raised  one  to  one's  feet.  Its  force  grew 
like  that  of  an  avalanche.  It  was  overpowering.  And  yet 
clearness  predominated  through  it  all." — Boston  Herald, 
March  25,  1898. 

"  The  Chicago  Orchestra  gave  its  second  concert  in  the 
Music  Hall,  last  evening.  .  .  .  The  event  of  the  evening 
was  the  playing  of  the  Brahms  symphony.  Here  both 
conductor  and  orchestra  simply  outdid  themselves.  Sav- 
ing some  few  places  in  the  last  movement,  which  did  not 
sound  quite  clear,  the  great  work  was  played  in  a  way 
to  call  for  nothing  but  the  heartiest,  the  most  unstinted 
admiration.  And,  be  it  said  in  passing,  the  few  passages 
in  the  last  movement,  the  rendering  of  which  was  not 
perfect,  are  of  a  sort  that  makes  a  falling  short  of  per- 
fection quite  excusable;  there  are  some  things  in  orches- 
tral music  which  can  be  played  with  full  effect  only 
when  both  conductor  and  orchestra  are  in  their  accustomed 
entourage,  in  a  hall  which  they  are  fully  used  to.  We 
doubt  not  that,  in  the  Chicago  Auditorium,  these  very 
passages  would  have  come  out  as  clear  as  the  rest  of  the 
symphony ;  if  Mr.  Thomas  and  his  orchestra  had  rehearsed 
in  our  Music  Hall  for  a  fortnight,  instead  of  a  day  or 
two,  we  doubt  not  that  they  would  have  come  out  perfectly 
clear  here.  .  .  .  We  could  fill  a  column  with  admiring 
remarks  about  it;  Mr.  Thomas'  reading  of  the  score  was 


474          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

so  sympathetic,  so  exhaustive  of  its  meaning,  and  the 
orchestra  carried  out  his  idea  so  thoroughly,  that  it  could 
be  called  nothing  less  than  great.  Let  us  expatiate  only 
upon  one  point — his  '  modifications  of  the  tempo.'  (We 
put  the  quotation-marks  for  reasons  which  will  not  escape 
some  of  our  readers.)  Mr.  Thomas'  modifications  of  the 
tempo  in  this  symphony  of  Brahms'  were  always  in  place, 
always  to  the  point;  not  because  they  were  sudden  or 
gradual,  strongly  marked  or  delicate,  but  solely  and  sim- 
ply because  they  seemed  artistically  inevitable,  and  not 
dictated  by  any  mere  whim  of  the  conductor ;  they  carried 
conviction  with  them  because  one  felt  that  the  music  could 
not  go  otherwise,  that  such  a  passage  could  not  be  played 
without  hurrying,  that  such  another  could  not  be  played 
without  holding  back.  The  inner  necessity  of  the  thing 
was  always  patent.  Mr.  Thomas  never  seemed  to  be 
merely  aiming  at  an  '  effect,'  nor  at  impressing  a  pet 
idea  of  his  own  upon  the  audience.  When  the  tempo  is 
'  modified '  in  this  way,  we  applaud  with  hands  and  feet, 
and  are  as  ready  to  burn  incense  at  the  shrine  of  the  god 
Rubato  as  any  enthusiast  we  know.  .  .  ." — Boston  Tran- 
script, March  25,  1898. 

THIRD  CONCERT 

"  Yesterday  afternoon  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas,  gave  its  last  concert 
in  Music  Hall,  the  programme  being: 

Symphony,  No.  5,  C  minor Beethoven 

Concerto  for  piano  in  D  minor.  ....... Rubinstein 

Symphonic  Poem,  '  Le  Chasseur  Maudit '.  .  .Cesar  Franck 

Two  Polish  Songs ., ,.  ...  .Liszt-Chopin 

Espagnole  ...... , Moszkowski 

Marche  Militaire ,.  .» ,.  .  .  .  Tausig-Schubert 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          475 

"  Mr.  Josef  Hofmann  was  the  soloist. 

"  Again  are  superlatives  of  admiration  due  Mr.  Theodore 
Thomas,  this  time  for  a  glorious  rendering  of  the  Bee- 
thoven symphony.  There  was  nothing  new  in  the  inter- 
pretation, except  that  it  was  Beethoven  pure  and  simple; 
Beethoven  relieved  of  the  burden  of  varied  readings  that 
has  been  foisted  on  him  from  time  to  time  in  the  shape 
of  vagaries  in  tempi,  rufoato,  modernism  generally;  Bee- 
thoven, in  which  the  individuality  of  the  conductor  was 
permitted  to  disappear  and  that  of  the  composer  to  pre- 
dominate. In  this  reading  Fate  did  not  knock  at  the  door, 
as  if  it  was  inspired  by  an  angry  desire  to  batter  down 
a  portal  of  bronze ;  nor  did  it  linger  long  enough  between 
its  assaults  to  give  time  for  the  repairing  of  whatever 
damage  it  might  have  done.  Wonderfully  fine  was  the 
phrasing  throughout  the  whole  of  the  first  movement,  and 
wonderfully  clear  did  every  orchestral  device  come  out. 

"  The  scherzo  was  perfectly  read,  and  at  a  pace  and  with 
a  charm  of  color,  and,  at  times,  with  a  long-missed  and 
appropriate  delicacy  that  did  the  movement  every  possi- 
ble justice.  The  precision  of  attack  and  the  unity  of  the 
basses  in  the  trio  were  precision  itself.  The  break  into 
the  martial,  triumphant  outburst  of  the  finale  was  mag- 
nificently managed,  and  the  noble  strain  for  once  was 
given  forth  with  thrilling  majesty  of  effect,  owing  to  a 
proper  appreciation  of  the  large  and  massive  dignity  that 
was  imparted  to  it.  And  these  results  were  achieved  so 
quietly,  but  so  imperatively,  by  the  conductor,  that  the  lis- 
teners were  never  disturbed  in  their  enjoyment  of  the  music. 

"  The  performance  was  as  splendid  as  the  reading,  and 
was  rewarded  by  as  enthusiastic  a  tribute  of  applause  as 
has  ever  been  bestowed  on  the  rendering  of  a  symphony  in 
Music  Hall;  to  say  nothing  of  the  two  hearty  recalls  to 
which  Mr.  Thomas  was  forced  to  respond. 


476          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  The  symphonic  poem  by  Franck  was  heard  here  for  the 
first  time.  It  is  strong  in  its  orchestral  color,  and  solid 
and  brilliant  in  instrumentation,  but  is  otherwise  not  par- 
ticularly interesting.  It  has  overmuch  of  repetitions,  its 
tonality  is  irritatingly  monotonous,  and  it  takes  too  much 
time  in  saying  the  little  it  has  to  say.  However,  it  af- 
forded a  good  opportunity  for  the  display  of  the  or- 
chestra's virtuosity. 

"  In  the  *  Meistersinger '  overture  Mr.  Thomas  brought 
out  effects  that  have  hitherto  been  neglected,  and  reversed 
with  advantage  others  that  have  been  conspicuous.  There 
was  a  broad  sweep  in  the  interpretation  as  a  whole  that 
gave  a  certain  *  oneness,'  so  to  speak,  to  the  work  that 
made  the  rendering  singularly  interesting  and  satisfying. 
Where  the  several  themes  are  combined,  there  was  not  the 
usual  ragged  and  disjointed  effect,  the  prominence  given 
to  the  prize  song  relegating  the  other  parts  to  their  due 
subordinate  places  as  ingenious  contrapuntal  accompani- 
ments to  a  main  theme.  The  result  was  as  surprising  as 
it  was  delightful. 

"  Under  the  baton  of  Mr.  Thomas  even  Wagner  is  al- 
ways sane,  and  the  conductor  is  a  better  friend  to  the 
composer  than  are  the  most  pronounced  Wagnerphile 
conductors  themselves.  With  something  more  of  Mr. 
Thomas  as  an  interpreter  of  Wagner  it  would  not  be  at 
all  -wonderful  if  reasonable  Wagnerphobists  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  man  of  Bayreuth  found  his  worst  ene- 
mies among  his  professedly  best  friends,  and  was  a  much 
misunderstood  and  undeservedly  reprobated  innovator. 
.  .  .  These  three  concerts  just  ended  have  been  equally 
important  and  pleasurable  features  in  the  season's  music. 
They  showed  that  the  West  is  far  more  advanced  in  musical 
taste  and  art  than  was  suspected  here,  and  they  have  shown 
Theodore  Thomas  still  in  the  plenitude  of  his  power  as  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          477 

conductor,  and  with  a  ripeness  of  experience  and  of  skill 
that  makes  him  more  worthy  than  ever  of  the  laurels  he  has 
so  industriously  and  worthily  won.  Chicago  is  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  its  splendid  orchestra,  and  on  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Thomas,  who  has  made  it  what  it  is.  ... " — Bos- 
ton Herald,  March  27,  1898. 

SUMMARY 

"  The  full  force  of  the  Chicago  orchestra  is  99  men,  or, 
if  you  choose  to  add  the  organist,  Mr.  Middelschulte,  100 
men. 

"  And  they  are  thus  arranged :  Fifteen  first  violins,  15 
second  violins,  9  violas,  10  'cellos,  9  double  basses,  2  harps, 
3  flutes,  1  piccolo,  3  oboes,  1  English  horn,  2  clarinets,  1 
bass  clarinet,  3  bassoons,  1  double  bassoon,  4  horns,  4 
tuben,  2  cornets,  2  trumpets,  1  bass  trumpet,  3  tenor  trom- 
bones, I  bass  trombone,  1  bass  tuba,  2  kettledrums,  1 
small  drum,  I  bass  drum,  1  cymbals. 

"  The  concertmaster  is  Mr.  Leopold  Kramer,  a  Bohemian 
by  birth,  who  has  been  concertmaster  in  Berlin,  Amsterdam, 
Cologne.  He,  as  well  as  Mr.  Bare,  the  second  concert- 
master,  joined  the  Chicago  Orchestra  last  fall.  Mr.  Bare 
is  Viennese,  a  pupil  of  Hellmesberger  and  also  of  Massart. 
He  has  been  concertmaster,  I  am  told,  with  Lamoureaux 
and  in  orchestras  at  Cologne  and  Mayence.  The  other 
principals  are  Mr.  Kiihn,  second  violin ;  Mr.  Keller,  viola ; 
Mr.  Steindel,  'cello ;  Mr.  Beckel,  double  bass ;  Mr.  Quensel, 
flute;  Mr.  Starke,  oboe;  Mr.  Schreurs,  clarinet;  Mr. 
Bachmann,  bassoon ;  Mr.  de  Mare,  horn ;  Mr.  Ulrich,  trum- 
pet; Mr.  Gerbhardt,  trombone.  Mr.  Loewe  is  the  first 
kettledrum.  Mr.  Edmund  Schuecker,  brother  of  Mr. 
Schuecker  of  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  is  the  first 
harp,  and  Mrs.  Wunderle,  the  second. 


478          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  The  strings  are  of  a  biting  tone  rather  than  sensuous. 
The  'cellos  are  perhaps  a  little  dry.  The  violins  in  use 
are  probably  not  as  fine  instruments  as  the  best  in  the 
Boston  Orchestra,  and  indeed  there  are  few  orchestras 
where  so  many  violins  are  of  fine  quality.  But  the  string 
band  in  the  Chicago  Orchestra  has  been  so  carefully  trained 
that  the  results  in  performance  are  admirable.  The  uni- 
formity in  bowing  is  a  delight  to  the  eye.  The  attack  is 
a  model,  and  the  phrasing  of  each  division  is  as  though 
it  were  the  work  of  one  thoroughly  equipped  and  tempera- 
mental musician. 

"  I  confess  that  Tuesday  night  I  was  disappointed  in  the 
first  flute,  but  he  afterward  showed  himself  competent 
for  the  position.  The  orchestra  did  not  know  the  hall  at 
first,  and  it  could  hardly  judge  of  requisite  degrees  of 
force  after  one  rehearsal  in  an  empty  chamber.  Tuesday 
night  it  seemed  at  times  as  though  the  orchestra  was  feel- 
ing its  way.  Thursday  night  it  played  with  no  greater 
precision  or  beauty  of  phrasing,  but  with  more  ease  and 
confidence,  as  though  it  were  at  home. 

"  Now,  precision  in  attacking  and  releasing  chords  is 
often  not  as  marked  in  brass  and  wood-wind  instruments 
as  it  is  in  strings.  This  cannot  be  said  of  the  Chicago 
Orchestra,  in  which  precision  is  universal.  The  individ- 
ual tone  of  the  first  clarinet,  horn,  bassoon,  and  trumpet 
is  a  joy,  and  the  ensemble  of  wood-wind  and  brass  is  as 
satisfactory  as  it  was  in  that  wonderfully  drilled  Meiningen 
Orchestra  under  von  Billow.  .  .  .  The  chords  are  sus- 
tained as  though  they  were  played  by  a  master  on  organ 
diapasons.  There  is  a 'surprising  solidity  to  this  rockbed 
of  brass.  .  .  .  The  exceeding  merit  of  Mr.  Thomas  as  a 
drill  master  is  so  indisputable  that  I  shall  not  waste  time 
in  praising  the  precision  of  his  orchestra.  But  his  drill 
is  not  that  merely  of  a  military  martinet.  He  is  a  master 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          479 

of  the  phrase,  as  well  as  a  master  of  rhythm.  Take  any 
melodic  passage  for  violins  or  wood-wind.  If  the  phrase 
is  piano,  it  is  played  piano  without  unmeaning  expression. 
The  beauty  of  the  phrase  makes  its  way  without  the  aid 
of  rhetorical  extravagance.  And  with  what  finish  and 
subtlety  is  the  phrase  ended !  How  carefully  are  cres- 
cendos  and  diminuendos  made,  and  yet  with  what  apparent 
spontaneity!  How  clear  is  the  dialogue  between  instru- 
ments !  The  answer  to  the  question  proposed  is  always 
in  keeping.  In  the  stormiest  passages  there  is  the  feeling 
of  reserve  strength.  The  repose  of  this  orchestra  is  never 
soporific ;  nor  is  it  ever  feverish ;  it  is  the  repose  of  intelli- 
gence and  confidence. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  in  the  accompaniment  to  Mr. 
Ysaye's  performance  of  the  violin  concerto  by  Mozart  the 
discipline,  strength,  and  beauty  of  this  orchestra  were 
shown  as  clearly  as  in  any  purely  orchestral  selection.  And 
yei  this  praise  is  invidious  when  I  recall  other  accompani- 
ments he  played  here,  as  that  to  Beethoven's  *  Ah ! 
perfido ! ' 

"  The  visit  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  under  Mr.  Thomas 
was  an  education,  as  well  as  a  pleasure,  to  us  all.  Per- 
sonally, I  could  well  have  spared  the  presence  of  any 
soloists.  .  .  .  The  visit  of  this  orchestra  was  beneficial  to 
the  cause  of  music.  It  proved  to  us  that  Bach  and 
Mozart  are  not  hopelessly  old  fashioned,  that  Richard 
Strauss  is  not  merely  an  extravagant  young  man.  And 
Mr.  Thomas  gave  an  object-lesson  in  the  art  of  conducting 
that  should  not  be  disregarded  or  speedily  forgotten." — 
Boston  Journal,  March  27,  1898. 

In  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington 
the  concerts  were  also  successful,  and  when,  at 
last  the  engagement  was  ended,  Thomas  turned 


480          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

towards  Chicago  feeling  very  happy  and  con- 
tented over  the  results  of  the  trip, — the  last  he 
ever  made  to  his  old  home. 

The  Cincinnati  Festival  of  1898  brought  the 
season  to  a  close.  Thomas  had  now  reached  his 
sixty-third  year.  His  step  was  as  light,  his  spirit 
as  fresh,  and  his  musical  powers  as  commanding 
as  ever,  nevertheless,  time  was  beginning  at  last 
to  undermine  his  magnificent  vitality,  and  he  was 
no  longer  able  to  sustain  the  great  strain  and 
fatigue  that  his  profession  constantly  demanded 
without  feeling  a  corresponding  reaction  after- 
wards. 

This  was  especially  the  case  with  the  Cincinnati 
Festivals,  and  for  some  years,  already,  the  re- 
action had  been  very  heavy  after  them.  But  after 
that  of  1898,  it  was  so  severe  that  it  was  startling. 
For  an  entire  month  he  would  sit  all  day  in  his 
chair,  idle,  and  so  exhausted  that  every  few  min- 
utes his  head  would  drop  forward  in  a  sort  of 
lethargic  sleep.  Nature  seemed  to  be  absolutely 
spent,  and  he  could  neither  read  nor  write  nor 
even  work  out-of-doors.  Gradually  the  rest,  and 
perfect  quiet  of  Felsengarten  restored  his  ex- 
hausted vitality,  and  he  resumed  his  customary 
way  of  life,  but  his  family  thought,  nevertheless, 
that  he  ought  to  give  up  festival  work  in  future. 
He  himself  also  felt  very  dubious  about  contin- 
uing it,  but  he  was  so  much  attached  to  his  Cin- 
cinnati co-workers,  and  the  institution  they  had 
created  together  gave  him  such  genuine  artistic 
satisfaction  that  he  could  not  bear  to  give  it  up, 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          481 

and,  in  spite  of  the  warnings  of  nature,  he  con- 
ducted the  festivals  of  1900,  1902,  and  1904. 

When  the  fall  of  1898  arrived,  the  Orchestral 
Association  of  Chicago  faced  a  debt  which  now 
amounted  to  $30,000.  Anything  less  indomitable 
than  the  Chicago  "  I  will "  spirit,  would  now 
have  abandoned  the  hope  of  making  the  orchestra 
permanent.  Not  so  the  trustees.  Instead,  they 
took  a  course  very  characteristic  of  Chicago  men. 
They  gave  a  dinner,  to  which  they  invited  all  the 
wealthy  and  influential  men  who  were  interested  in 
the  orchestra.  Every  man  who  accepted  the  invita- 
tion knew  that  it  was  like  to  cost  him  dear,  neverthe- 
less, thirty-four  willing  victims  gathered  around 
the  festal  board  on  the  appointed  evening.  The 
occasion  was  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  so  much  en- 
thusiasm for  the  cause  of  art  was  aroused  that  be- 
fore they  separated,  they  had  not  only  subscribed 
enough  to  pay  the  $30,000  of  indebtedness  of  the 
Association,  but  had  subscribed  an  additional 
$30,000  as  a  sinking  fund  against  a  future  debt  of 
like  dimensions. 

This  generous  assistance  enabled  the  trustees 
to  go  on  with  the  work  on  the  same  artistic  lines  as 
before,  but  although  the  finances  of  the  Associa- 
tion were,  for  the  time  being,  on  a  sound  basis, 
they  realized  the  necessity  of  strict  economy,  and 
the  chorus  was  therefore  discontinued.  There  is 
no  cloud  without  its  silver  lining,  they  say, 
and  the  loss  of  the  chorus  had,  for  Thomas, 
a  very  important  compensation  in  bringing  into 
the  working  force  of  the  Association  Mr.  Fred- 


482          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

erick  J.  Wessels.  After  this  able  assistant  and 
good  friend  became  the  practical  business  man- 
ager of  the  orchestra,  Thomas  had  such  peace  and 
comfort  in  his  professional  life  as  he  had  never 
known  before,  and  even  traveling  engagements 
were  robbed  of  much  of  their  terror  by  the  thought 
and  care  with  which  Mr.  Wessels  planned  and 
carried  out  the  details  of  the  work. 

In  April  of  this  year  Thomas  received  the  fol- 
lowing invitation  from  Colonne,  the  eminent 
French  conductor,  to  conduct  some  concerts  at 
the  Paris  Exposition  of  1900: 


THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ.  APril  15> 

Dear  Confrere: 

Amongst  the  attractions  of  the  World's  Fair  of  1900 
in  Paris,  is  a  restitution  of  "  Old  Paris,"  built  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Seine.  .  .  .  Here  an  immense  hall  with 
a  seating  capacity  of  eighteen  hundred,  and  furnished 
with  an  organ,  is  now  in  process  of  construction.  The 
organizers  of  "  Old  Paris  "  have  invited  me  to  give  there 
a  series  of  concerts  with  the  orchestra  I  have  conducted 
for  twenty-five  years,  during  the  whole  period  of  the 
Exposition  .  .  .  and  I  have  accepted  this  task.  I  have 
accepted  it  with  all  the  more  empressement,  because  it  will 
be  a  new  opportunity  for  me  to  show  with  what  large 
eclecticism  I  have  always  regarded  the  question  of  recog- 
nizing French  compositions  without  distinction  of  school, 
and  foreign  works  without  distinction  of  nationality.  This 
principle  guides  me  in  the  elaboration  of  my  programme 
.  .  .  and  for  this  reason  I  have  reserved  certain  perform- 
ances for  the  great  artistic  societies,  French  or  foreign, 
capable  of  entering  into  such  a  scheme,  whether  they  bring 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          483 

with  them  their  own  vocal  or  instrumental  groups,  or 
whether  they  make  appeal  to  the  assistance  of  our  or- 
chestra and  chorus. 

I  establish  thus,  the  grand  outlines  of  music  of  all 
grades  without  neglecting  the  familiar  kind  which  has 
given  us  such  charming  models. 

It  is  a  vast  undertaking,  the  difficulties  of  which  I  do 
not  dissemble  to  myself,  but  I  hope  to  bring  it  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue  with  the  help  of  the  high  personalities,  vowed 
by  rank  and  taste  to  the  protection  of  musical  art  in  each 
country.  Under  this  title  I  now  solicit  your  moral  sup- 
port in  the  work  to  which  I  have  consecrated  myself  dur- 
ing the  Exposition,  and  I  would  be  greatly  obliged  if  you 
would  be  willing  to  give  me  the  authority  to  include  you 
among  those  protectors  of  art  who  ought  by  their  high 
position  and  the  authority  of  their  names  to  give  to  the 
work  more  extension  and  eclat,  and  who  will  constitute  the 
Committee  of  Patronage  of  the  Colonne  Concerts  at  "  Old 

Paris." 

Yours  truly,  _ 

EDWARD  COLONNE, 

With  sentiments 

of  cordial  confraternity  toward  the  eminent  Maestro  Theo- 
dore Thomas,  from  his  Parisian  colleague,  who  will  be 
very  happy  if  he  may  give  him  the  opportunity  to  be 
heard  during  the  Exposition. 

This  invitation  Thomas  declined  for  a  reason 
which  seems  very  inadequate  now,  but  which 
moved  him  strongly  at  the  time;  namely,  the  trial 
and  condemnation  of  Dreyfus  by  the  French 
government.  Thomas  considered  it  a  piece  of 
monumental  injustice,  and  was  so  indignant  about 
it  that  he  was  unwilling  to  accept  an  invitation 
which  came  to  him,  even  indirectly,  from  a  gov- 

*  Translated  from  the  original  French. 


484          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ernmental  institution.  He  was,  of  course,  very 
happy  to  authorize  Colonne  to  place  his  name  on 
the  list  of  the  "  Patrons  of  Art,"  but  he  would 
not  appear  in  the  concerts  himself.  It  was  a  pity 
that  he  felt  thus  about  the  matter,  for  there  was 
much  interest  in  Paris  over  his  proposed  visit  with 
his  orchestra.  A  correspondent  of  one  of  the 
New  York  musical  journals  took  the  trouble  to 
interview  some  of  the  most  important  musical 
authorities  of  Paris  on  the  subject  and  the  follow- 
ing answers  were  amongst  many  similar  ones  that 
he  received: 

Lamoreux — "  I  think  the  concerts  that  Mr.  Thomas 
means  to  give  in  Paris  with  his  orchestra  will  be  of  deep 
interest,  and  that  the  great  reputation  of  this  celebrated 
leader  will  assure  their  success." 

Widor — "  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  hearty  wel- 
come which  Theodore  Thomas  and  his  orchestra  will  re- 
ceive at  Paris.  We  all  know  that  this  orchestra  is  one  of 
the  first.  Its  reputation  was  made  long  ago,  and  this 
opinion,  which  has  never  been  questioned,  has  been  con- 
firmed by  all  my  countrymen  who  have  heard  it.  Thomas 
is  considered  one  of  the  first  orchestra  leaders  of  our 
times." 

Victorin  de  Joncieres — "  I  am  convinced  that  the  recep- 
tion of  Theodore  Thomas  and  his  orchestra  in  Paris  will 
be  most  cordial.  For  my  part,  I  shall  be  most  happy  to 
appreciate  de  auditu  the  worth  of  a  conductor  and  a  body 
of  musicians  so  renowned." 

The  winter  season  of  1899  passed  uneventfully, 
and  the  early  spring  found  Thomas  and  the  or- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          485 

chestra  enjoying  a  really  pleasant  tour  in  the 
Southern  States.  The  following  letters  were  writ- 
ten during  this  tour.  Mr.  Wessels  had  provided  a 
private  car  for  his  accommodation,  and  the  dif- 
ference it  made  in  the  matter  of  his  comfort  can 
hardly  be  overestimated: 

"  ATLANTA,  GA.,  March  13,  1900. 

"  Just  a  few  lines  to  tell  you  that  we  are  having  the  most 
beautiful  weather.  The  railroads  are  of  course  very  rough 
and  the  noise  loud  and  sharp.  Draughts  cannot  be 
avoided,  but  so  far  I  am  free  from  cold.  The  catarrh  is 
loosening,  but  when  I  swallow,  my  left  ear  (the  good  one) 
is  roaring.  As  for  my  right  ear,  I  say  as  Liszt  did  about 
the  weather,  *  I  take  no  notice  of  anything  which  takes 
no  notice  of  me ! '  In  the  stateroom  of  my  car  I  have  a 
large  double  bed.  The  first  night  I  did  not  sleep  much, 
but  last  night  it  was  better.  Yesterday  I  climbed  a  real 
mountain,  and  walked  through  pine  woods  to  reach  the 
road  again.  The  car  and  service  are  pleasant,  and  alto- 
gether I  do  not  see  but  that  this  trip  may  even  do  me  good, 
although  the  nightly  concert  is  of  course  fatiguing." 

Charleston,  S.  C. — "  I  have  been  hunting  up  old  places 
here  to-day,  which  I  remember  from  1849 — a  long  time, 
is  it  not? — The  former  slave  market  has  been  built  over, 
but  I  nevertheless  found  some  traces  of  it.  This  is  an 
interesting  city,  I  should  say  the  most  so  in  this  country. 
It  has  nothing  in  common  with  any  other  American  city, 
unless  it  is  New  Orleans.  The  location  is  beautiful  and 
the  climate  matches  the  location.  I  live  in  the  car  alto- 
gether now,  and  do  not  go  to  the  hotels.  This  permits 
me  to  stay  in  bed  as  late  as  I  please  in  the  morning.  To- 
day I  had  my  breakfast  at  eleven,  then  I  went  out  and 


486 

walked  until  nearly  four  in  the  afternoon.  I  shall  dine 
early.  We  have  been  very  unfortunate  in  the  weather  for 
the  concerts,  and  in  the  halls,  so  far.  The  first  three  days 
of  our  trip  were  very  warm,  and  I  was  just  preparing  to 
change  to  thinner  clothes  when  we  struck  rain  and  cold 
weather  at  Montgomery,  together  with  a  newly  erected 
building.  It  was  very  cold  and  damp,  for  there  is  no 
provision  for  heating  in  this  part  of  the  world.  That 
day  we  had  two  concerts,  and  a  poor  hotel,  and  the  men 
began  to  get  sick,  several  had  to  go  to  bed  even.  Last 
night  we  had  another  damp  hall,  and  although  the  weather 
is  bright  now,  it  is  nevertheless  cold  for  Charleston. 
Everyone  has  a  cold  in  consequence,  and  even  Wessels  has 
gone  to  bed  with  a  hot  bottle!  I  am  the  only  well  per- 
son— so  much  for  the  private  car,  without  it  I  would  also 
have  been  sick  I  suppose.  We  have  three  good  and  will- 
ing men  to  look  after  us,  and  the  car  is  not  overheated. 
The  only  complaint  I  have  made  yet  is  too  much  and  too 
good  food!  We  have  had  delicious  oysters  and  fish  all 
along,  but  with  so  little  exercise  I  feel  heavy,  and  must 
eat  sparingly. 

"  This  morning  the  orchestra  were  taken  out  in  carriages 
by  the  Germania  Club  and  were  much  feted.  But  I  es- 
caped because  my  car  could  not  be  found.  How  do  things 
go  with  you  since  I  am  gone?  I  hope  you  have  not  taken 
in  some  old  alley  dog  or  cat  to  nurse!  Our  new  library 
annex  in  the  back  yard  would  make  a  fine  station  for 
broken-down  horses  on  their  way  to  the  hospital — but 
don't  devote  it  to  that  purpose  until  I  have  taken  out  the 
music  and  the  billiard  table !  The  other  day  I  saw  a  man 
maltreating  his  horse  at  a  small  way-station  where  the 
train  stopped  for  a  few  minutes.  I  did  not  have  time  to 
get  out,  but  I  was  so  mad  I  pushed  up  the  car  window  and 
roared  at  him,  '  If  my  wife  was  here  you  would  stop  that 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          487 

pretty  quick ! '  He  was  so  astonished  at  this  surprising 
threat  that  he  actually  did  stop,  and  my  wrath  evaporated 
in  a  hearty  laugh,  as  the  train  moved  on ! " 

Indianapolis,  Ind. — "  Here  I  am  sitting  in  a  large  room 
in  a  hotel,  experiencing  quite  a  sensation  in  being  away 
from  the  car,  in  which  I  have  been  boxed  up  for  two  weeks. 
Another  sensation  will  be  a  bath.  My  room  is  very  large, 
but  of  course  overheated.  I  am  pretty  tired  and  have 
a  cold  and  sore  throat,  but  I  am  also  very  busy  and  will 
have  no  time  for  anything  now  until  the  season  is  over. 
The  orchestra  goes  home  to-night,  but  I  have  to  go  to 
Cincinnati  first,  for  some  final  chorus  rehearsals  for  the 
festival,  which  seems  very  near  now.  Soon  that  too  will 
be  over  and  we  will  be  free  to  go  home  and  have  peace 
for  a  while.  Felsengarten  never  appeared  more  attractive 
to  my  mental  vision  than  now." 

When  we  had  built  the  little  mountain  cottage 
at  Felsengarten  it  was  with  the  idea  of  using  it 
only  as  a  sort  of  camping  place  for  short  sojourns. 
But  each  summer  we  became  more  and  more  at- 
tached to  it,  and  spent  a  longer  time  there.  In 
the  meantime  the  Thomas  "  children  "  had  become 
mature  men  and  women,  and  had  married  or 
gone  out  into  the  world  for  themselves.  The 
large  house  at  Fairhaven  was,  therefore,  empty 
of  the  young  life  which  had  made  it  a  home  for 
Thomas,  and  he  now  felt  lonely  and  dissatisfied 
in  it.  "  I  long  for  a  home,"  he  said  to  me.  "  We 
have  three  houses,  but  not  a  home  amongst  them 
all.  Chicago  is  too  uncertain  for  me  to  have  any 
home  feeling  here;  the  Fairhaven  place  was  meant 


488          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

for  the  children,  and  I  have  never  felt  as  if  it, 
belonged  to  me;  and  the  mountain  cottage  is  only 
a  'shack.'  What  shall  we  do?"  After  some 
further  discussion  we  decided  to  turn  the  "  shack  " 
into  a  good  substantial  house  and  make  that  our 
home  for  the  rest  of  our  lives.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1900  this  was  done,  and  there  was  not  a 
happier  man  in  America  than  Thomas  when  it 
was  all  complete,  and  he  was  able  to  take  posses- 
sion of  his  cozy  nest  beneath  the  sheltering  pines 
of  Felsengarten.  To  him  the  love  of  home  was  a 
passion.  All  his  life  he  had  lived  in  rented  houses, 
except  for  the  brief  summers  he  had  spent  at 
Fairhaven.  "  Home "  had,  therefore,  hitherto 
meant  only  family  surroundings,  unconnected  with 
the  land.  But  in  Felsengarten  he  now  had  a 
place  which  was  peculiarly  his  own,  for  no  white 
man  had  ever  before  lived  upon  its  virgin  soil. 
He  was,  therefore,  able  to  design  the  entire  place 
as  he  pleased,  and  afterwards  to  work  out  his  de- 
sign with  his  own  hands.  In  like  manner  the  cot- 
tage was  planned  to  suit  his  personal  needs,  and 
so  well  was  he  pleased  with  both  house  and 
grounds  that  hereafter  it  seemed  to  him  a  veritable 
paradise  on  earth,  and  he  never  spent  an  unhappy 
moment  there. 

No  one  really  knew  Thomas  who  had  not  shared 
his  home,  for  he  was  an  entirely  different  person 
there  from  what  he  was  elsewhere.  In  his  pro- 
fessional life  he  was  stern,  serious,  intensely  in 
earnest,  and  absolutely  uncompromising.  His  per- 
sonality was  so  commanding  that  he  was  instantly 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          489 

and  unquestioningly  obeyed  by  everyone  who  came 
near  him,  and  I  have  never  known  anyone  who 
did  not  fear  him.  An  incident  illustrative  of  this 
happened  at  the  time  of  the  World's  Fair,  when 
his  antagonists  were  daily  printing  all  sorts  of 
accusations  against  him.  One  of  the  newspapers 
sent  a  reporter  to  interview  him,  but  Thomas 
did  not  care  to  be  interviewed,  and  so  it  fell  to  my 
lot  to  receive  the  reporter.  After  he  had  asked 
me  a  great  many  leading  questions  I  began  to 
lose  patience,  and  said  with  some  heat,  "  If  Mr. 
Thomas  were  present  himself,  you  would  not  dare 
to  put  these  questions  to  him"  "  True,"  replied 
the  reporter,  "  and  I  will  tell  you  something  more: 
If  the  five  men  who  are  making  these  attacks  on 
Mr.  Thomas  were  here  and  he  should  come  in,  not 
all  of  them  together  would  dare  to  utter  one  word 
of  accusation  in  his  presence."  It  is  not  difficult 
to  understand  why  people  stood  so  much  in  awe 
of  Thomas,  for  his  eye  seemed  to  pierce  one 
through  and  through,  and  he  made  the  impres- 
sion of  holding,  pent  up  within  himself,  some  kind 
of  tremendous  force  which  would  annihilate  every- 
thing in  sight  if  it  broke  loose. 

Sometimes  it  did  break  loose,  and  then  he  was 
terrible  and  no  one  could  stand  against  him.  But 
this  rarely  happened.  Ordinarily,  he  contented 
himself  with  mere  sarcasm  when  he  was  angry  or 
displeased,  but  it  was  sarcasm  as  keen  and  biting 
as  the  thrust  of  a  rapier,  and  was  almost  as  much 
dreaded  as  his  anger.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of 
these  repellent  qualities,  it  was  impossible  not  to 


490          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

feel  the  great,  warm  heart,  the  sense  of  truth  and 
justice,  the  sincerity  and  the  absolute  unselfishness 
that  lay  at  the  foundation  of  his  character,  and 
however  much  he  was  feared,  he  was  loved  in  a 
still  greater  degree. 

At  home  his  character  was  reversed,  and  the 
sterner  qualities  were  veiled,  while  all  his  warmth, 
tenderness,  sentiment,  gayety,  and  simplicity  were 
uppermost.  Here  he  was  strangely  dependent  and 
even  docile.  He  wanted  to  be  guided  and  directed 
in  everything  by  his  family,  and  carried  his  con- 
sideration of  others  to  an  extreme.  For  instance, 
he  would  not  eat  toast  when  there  were  many 
people  at  our  table,  because  he  thought  the  cook 
had  too  much  else  to  attend  to;  and  on  the 
occasion  of  the  wedding  of  one  of  his  daughters 
at  Fairhaven,  when  the  guests  had  gone,  he  re- 
turned to  the  dining-room,  sent  for  all  the  waiters, 
cooks,  and  coachmen,  and,  giving  them  each  a 
glass  of  champagne,  a  cigar,  and  a  piece  of  wed- 
ding cake,  thanked  them  formally  for  their  services, 
and,  inviting  them  to  sit  down,  entertained  them 
as  guests  himself  for  half  an  hour,  wishing  them 
to  have  some  of  the  pleasure,  as  well  as  the  work, 
of  the  day.  In  the  summer  season,  when  he  could 
lay  aside,  for  a  time,  the  cares  of  his  profession 
and  enjoy  his  home,  he  was  as  gay  and  happy  as 
a  boy.  My  birthday  he  always  made  a  little 
festival  of  and  on  that  day  he  would  bar  the 
gate  against  all  the  outside  world,  and  have  a 
family  celebration  for  which  he  would  prepare  a 
long  and  elaborate  programme,  which  would  be- 


tri 
-— 
d 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          491 

gin  at  breakfast  and  last  all  day.  This  programme 
was  a  much  diversified  affair,  and  was  sure  to 
include  a  procession — for  which  we  "  dressed  up," 
and  in  which  all  the  servants  and  animals  took 
part — as  well  as  a  concert  or  two,  and  several 
substantial  meals,  with  intermissions  for  rest  and 
relaxation.  On  such  occasions  he  would  exert 
to  the  utmost  all  his  charm  of  manner,  bringing 
forth  from  the  storehouse  of  his  mind  his  best 
treasures  of  knowledge,  thought,  and  experience, 
and  talking  so  delightfully  that  the  hours  would 
glint  by  like  minutes.  To  those  who  took  part 
in  these  joyous  little  family  festivals  the  memory 
of  them  is  like  the  afterglow  of  sunset  at  the 
close  of  a  summer  day. 

The  fall  brought  Thomas  again  to  Chicago,  and 
the  winter  of  1900-01  passed  along  uneventfully, 
devoted  to  the  regular  work  of  the  Chicago  season 
and  a  few  concert  tours. 

One  noteworthy  happening  must,  however,  be 
chronicled.  This  was  a  cycle  of  four  Beethoven 
Programmes,  given  at  intervals  through  the  sea- 
son. They  were  as  follows: 

BEETHOVEN  CYCLE 

CHICAGO,  1900-1901 

PROGRAMME  I 

Symphony  No.  3,  "  Eroica  ". 1804 

Piano  Concerto  No.  4,  op.  58 1805 

Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  2,  op.  72 1805 

Overture,  "  Leonore  "  No.  3,  op.  72 1806 


492          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


PROGRAMME   II 


Symphony  No.  4,  B  flat,  op.  60 1806 

Violin  Concerto,  D  major,  op.  61. .  —  .1.  .  .  . 1806 

Overture,  "  Coriolanus,"  C  minor,  op.  62 1807 

Symphony  No.  5,  C  minor,  op.  67 1807 


PROGRAMME  IH 

Symphony  No.  6,  "  Pastoral,"  F  major,  op.  68 1808 

Piano  Concerto  No.  5,  E  flat,  op.  73 ,1809 

Symphony  No.  7,  op.  92 1812 

PROGRAMMME    IV 

Symphony  No.  8,  F  major,  op.  93 ( .,. . 1812 

Benedictus  from  Missa  Solennis,  D  major,  op.  123, 

1818-1823 

Symphony  No.  9,  D  minor,  op.  125 ...... .1817-1823 

Assisted  by  the  Apollo  Club 

During  this  season  Thomas  made  several  short 
tours  with  the  orchestra,  and  the  months  of  March 
and  April  were  spent  in  almost  continuous  travel- 
ing in  the  Southern  States  under  conditions  which 
were  so  hard  that,  in  spite  of  the  private  car,  the 
work  was  almost  unbearable,  as  the  following  let- 
ters testify: 

"  MEMPHIS,  TENN.,  April  22,  1901. 

"  Here  we  are  in  summer  weather — everything  is  open 
and  we  let  the  air  blow  in  on  us.  We  let  the  fire  out  the 
first  day  and  by  the  time  we  reached  St.  Louis  it  began 
to  be  hot.  I  have  been  lame  ever  since  leaving  home,  in 
my  back,  and  have  suffered  much  pain,  sometimes  it  seemed 
as  if  I  would  drop.  But  it  is  gradually  leaving  me  now. 
I  am  wearing  my  thinnest  clothing  and  fighting  flies,  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          493 

the  best  thing  that  has  happened  so  far  is  that  this  is 
Friday.  The  South  with  its  heat  and  dirt  is  not  attract- 
ive, and  I  long  to  be  at  home." 

April  29,  1901. — "  The  heat  is  simply  demoralizing,  and 
the  thermometer  has  stood  at  over  ninety  degrees  con- 
tinuously during  the  entire  trip.  To-day,  thank  fortune, 
we  have  reached  the  first  day  of  the  last  week,  and  see  with 
grim  defiance  the  end.  By  the  time  I  get  home  I  shall 
have  no  sense  or  feeling  left.  I  think  that  at  my  age,  and 
with  my  reputation  I  ought  not  to  be  obliged  to  play  to 
such  ignorant  audiences  as  are  found  in  this  part  of  the 
world.  The  orchestra  is  of  course  also  all  to  pieces  with 
the  hardships  of  the  trip. 

"  Can  you  buy  for  me  the  works  of  Calderon?  Try  to 
get  an  English  translation,  so  that  you  can  read  it  also, 
otherwise  order  the  German  edition.  It  takes  a  long  time 
now  to  take  in  the  world,  it  is  so  old,  and  so  much  has 
happened.  But  one  likes  to  learn  as  much  as  one  can." 

"  BIRMINGHAM,  ALA.,  May  1,  1901. 
"  This  will  probably  be  my  last  letter,  for  I  simply  fight 
for  my  existence.  The  heat,  dirt  (filth),  and  noise  are 
beyond  all  description,  and  all  we  can  do  is  to  practice  the 
virtue  of  the  mule — patience.  I  have  nothing  to  write 
except  complaining,  and  as  that  gives  no  relief  or  help, 
it  is  better  to  do  without.  Birmingham  is  a  new  town, 
and  has  all  the  virtues  of  one.  The  business  interest  is 
steel  and  iron,  and  I  suppose  it  has  an  immense  future. 
The  chorus  here  consists  chiefly  of  Welsh  people,  and  is 
quite  good  for  such  a  place.  We  gave  half  of  the 
*  Elijah  '  last  night,  besides  some  orchestra  numbers.  We 
were  brought  here  by  the  influence  of  my  Cincinnati  work. 
I  find  many  young  men  all  over  the  country,  who  have 


494          MEMOIRS  OP  THEODORE  THOMAS 

been  under  my  influence  there.  Yesterday  I  went  shop- 
ping for  you.  In  every  town  I  have  amused  myself  look- 
ing through  the  hardware  stores  to  try  and  find  some 
gardening  tools  for  you,  but  never  succeeded  until  yes- 
terday, when  I  bought  two  sets  of  tools,  and  I  think  they 
will  be  just  what  you  want. 

"  On  these  tours  we  are  doing  what  ought  to  have  been 
done  ten  years  ago,  and  play  at  the  people  until  they 
catch  on.  Well,  I  believe  I  am  laying  a  good  foundation 
for  what  will  come  after  me — if  it  is  not  all  ruined  again. 
But  I  wish  the  season  was  over,  and  I  long  for  the 
mountains." 

The  most  important  feature  of  Thomas'  Chi- 
cago work  during  the  season  of  1901-02,  was  the 
following: 

CYCLE  OF  HISTORICAL  PROGRAMMES 

CHICAGO,  1901-1902 
PROGRAMME  I 

*  (a)  Sonata,  "  Pian  e  Forte  ")/-,-  •  r<  u  •  r   IKK* 

I  Giovanni  Gabneli,  1557 

(b)   Canzon  a  6  j 

King  Arthur ,. Purcell,  1658 

Castor  et  Pollux Rameau,  1683 

Water  Music ,. . Haendel,  1685 

Overture  No.  3,  D  major , J.  S.  Bach,  1685 

Symphony  No.  1,  D  major C.  P.  E.  Bach,  1714 

Recitative    and    aria,    "  Diane    Impitoyable,"    from 

Iphigenia  in  Aulis. .Gluck,  1714) 

Symphony,  E  flat  (B.  and  H.  No.  1) Haydn,  1732 

*  The  earliest  known  orchestral  composition.  The  score  is  now  in 
the  Newberry  Library,  Chicago. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          495 

PROGRAMME   n 

Symphony,  C  major  (K.  551).  .1 Mozart,  1756 

Concerto  for  violin,  No.  8.  ...... Spohr,  1784 

Overture,  "  Der  Freischuetz  " Weber,  1786 

Symphony  No.  8,  B  minor Schubert,  1797 

Variations  and  March,  Suite  113 Lachner,  1804 

PROGRAMME   HI 

Beethoven 

Overture,  "  Prometheus,"  op.  43 1800 

Scene  and  aria,  "  Ah  perfido,"  op.  46 1796 

Symphony  No.  3,  "  Eroica,"  E  flat,  op.  55 .  .  .1804 

Music  to  Goethe's  "  Egmont,"  op.  84 1809-10 

PROGRAMME   IV 

Wedding   March   and    Scherzo,   from    "  Midsummer 

Night's  Dream,"  op.  61.  .1 Mendelssohn,  1809 

Overture,  "  Melusina,"  op.  32. Mendelssohn,  1809 

Concerto  for  piano,  No.  2,  F  minor,  op.  21 .  .Chopin,  1810 
Symphony  No.  3,  Rhenish,  E  flat,  op.  97,  Schumann,  1810 

PROGRAMME    V 

"  Symphonie  Fantastique,"  op.  14,  A.  ....  .Berlioz,  1803 

Symphonic  Poem  No.  2,  "  Tasso  " .  . Liszt,  1811 

Vorspiel   "Lohengrin  "  m3 

Vorspiel,   "  Die   Meistersmger  "  ) 

PROGRAMME    VI 

Symphony  No.  4,  E  minor,  op.  98 .Brahms,  1833 

Concerto  for  piano,  No.  2,  G  minor,  op.  22, 

Saint  Saens,  1835 
Symphony  No.  6,  "  Pathetic,"  B  minor,  op.  74, 

Tschaikowsky,  1840 


496          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

With  the  exception  of  this  cycle  of  concerts, 
the  Chicago  season  presented  no  unusual  features, 
for  the  severity  of  the  climate  was  steadily 
doing  its  deadly  work,  and  Thomas  was  now  so 
much  weakened  in  health  that  he  planned  no  more 
great  musical  enterprises,  but  was  content  to  spend 
his  remaining  years  in  training  both  the  orchestra 
and  the  public  of  Chicago,  so  that  musical  culture 
would  be  too  deeply  rooted  in  both  to  deteriorate 
when  he  was  gone.  He  seemed  to  have  a  premo- 
nition that  the  end  was  not  far  off,  and  the 
naturally  joyous  and  hopeful  temper  of  his  mind 
was  changed  to  one  of  deep  seriousness  and  resig- 
nation. Hereafter  all  the  passion  and  struggle  of 
this  world  fell  away  from  him;  he  thought  and 
spoke  much  of  the  soul,  and  all  his  art  work 
tended  towards  the  psychological.  He  was  further 
saddened  by  the  death  of  his  eldest  son,  Franz  C. 
Thomas,  in  December.  Anything  that  affected  his 
family  touched  Thomas  very  closely,  and  the 
loss  of  his  son  was  a  heavy  blow  to  him.  As 
in  former  years,  work  was  his  antidote  for  sor- 
row, and  the  approaching  Cincinnati  Festival 
gave  him  ample  occupation  during  the  season  of 
1901-02. 

This  festival,  had  Thomas  been  a  younger  man 
and  able  to  follow  it  up  afterwards,  would  have 
been  an  epoch-making  series  of  concerts,  for  it 
marked  an  entirely  new  departure  in  -his  art, 
though  one  towards  which  he  had  long  been  tend- 
ing. Hitherto  he  had  sought  to  preserve  popular 
interest  in  classic  music  by  adapting  the  works  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          497 

the  masters  as  far  as  possible  to  the  modern 
orchestra.  By  a  thousand  little  devices  he  had 
enriched  the  classic  scores  and  modernized  them 
while  still  faithfully  preserving  their  original  spirit. 
Now,  however,  he  determined  that  this  was  wrong. 
"  I  have  at  last  come  to  the  conclusion,"  he  said, 
"  that  no  one  has  a  right  to  alter,  in  any  particular, 
the  work  of  a  composer.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
executant  musician  to  interpret  a  work  exactly  as 
the  composer  intended  that  it  should  be  inter- 
preted, and  he  should  not  change  or  embellish 
it  to  suit  the  taste  of  another  generation."  In 
pursuance  of  this  theory  he  cut  out  everything 
he  had  ever  added  to  the  classic  scores  and  set  to 
work  to  adapt  the  orchestra  to  the  compositions, 
instead  of  adapting  the  compositions  to  the  or- 
chestra, as  heretofore. 

The  most  important  classic  work  on  the  festival 
programmes  of  this  year  was  Bach's  great  B  minor 
"  Mass,"  and  to  the  preparation  of  this  work 
Thomas  gave  two  years  of  exhaustive  study.  The 
edition  he  used  as  the  foundation  of  his  work  was 
that  edited  by  Hermann  Kretzmar,  in  1899,  for 
the  performances  of  the  Riedelverein  of  Leipsic. 
With  this  as  a  basis,  he  proceeded  first  to  prove 
every  note  of  it,  and  then  he  added  everything 
which  it  lacked,  and  corrected  whatever  his  own 
researches  had  shown  to  be  wrong.  There  was 
probably  not  a  single  authoritative  work  on  Bach 
or  his  music,  in  either  English,  German,  or  French, 
which  Thomas  did  not  study  in  preparing  this 
"  Mass,"  and  the  score  in  which  the  results  of  his 


498          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

labors  were  annotated  is  unique  in  the  world, 
for  it  represents  the  consensus  of  the  opinions  of 
all  the  great  Bach  experts  of  both  Europe  and 
America.  There  was  not  a  trill  or  turn  in  the 
entire  work  which  he  did  not  study  separately,  and 
write  out  in  full,  nor  an  instrument  indicated 
which  was  not  faithfully  employed,  although  some 
of  them  had  to  be  made  especially  and  learned  by 
the  orchestra.*  In  only  one  particular  did  Thomas 
depart  from  the  originals  of  the  classic  scores,  and 
that  was  in  the  number  of  musicians  used  in  the 
performances.  In  a  hall  of  the  size  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Music  Hall,  it  was,  of  course,  impossible 
to  use  the  small  orchestra  of  the  classic  writers. 
But  to  offset  this  Thomas  balanced  the  various 
choirs  of  the  orchestra  in  such  a  way  as  to  give 
the  same  relative  tone  quality,  using  in  the 
"  Mass "  an  unheard-of  number  of  wood-winds 
in  proportion  to  the  strings.  The  works  of  the 
modern  masters  he  had  always  given  with  the 
orchestras  indicated  in  the  scores.  At  this  festival 
those  selected  were  the  very  extreme  of  modern 
scoring,  and  one  of  them,  Berlioz'  "  Requiem 
Mass,"  required,  not  only  an  orchestra  of  the  lar- 
gest dimensions,  but  four  additional  bands  stationed 


*  Writing  in  this  connection,  the  eminent  musical  savant  Bernhard 
Zieln  said,  "  The  Chicago  Orchestra  under  Theodore  Thomas  has 
been  the  only  one  in  this,  as  well  as  in  foreign  countries,  which 
executes  the  ornaments  of  classic  compositions  correctly,  as  explained 
by  Quantz,  Leopold  Mozart,  C.  Ph.  Em.  Bach  and  others,  and  before 
Thomas  there  was  no  one  who  did  so  since  the  classic  era."  The 
score  of  the  Bach  Mass  which  contains  Thomas'  annotations  is  now 
in  the  Newberry  Library,  where  it  is  accessible  to  the  student. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          499 

at  the  four  corners  of  the  main  orchestral  body,  as 
well  as  sixteen  kettledrums,  tuned  in  chords,  and 
ten  pairs  of  cymbals.  Those  who  heard  this  per- 
formance will  never  forget  the  perfect  maelstrom 
of  sound  when  all  these  instruments  and  the  great 
chorus  crashed  in  together  in  the  "  Tuba  mirum." 
It  expressed,  in  very  truth,  the  words  of  its  text, 

"  To  the  throne,  the  trumpet  sounding, 
Through  the  sepulchres  resounding, 
Summons  all  with  voice  astounding. 
Death  and  Nature  'mazed  are  quaking, 
When,  the  grave's  deep  slumber  breaking, 
Man  to  judgment  is  awaking." 

To  achieve  all  these  diverse  orchestral  com- 
binations required  an  orchestral  body  of  nearly 
two  hundred  performers.  The  subjoined  table 
shows,  in  detail,  how  Thomas  formed  the  or- 
chestras for  the  four  great  masters,  Bach,  Bee- 
thoven, Berlioz,  and  Wagner: 

THE  BACH  OECHESTEA 
Mass  in  D  minor 

21  First  violins  6  Second  oboes 

19  Second  violins  2  Third  oboes 

12  Violas  2  D  clarinets 

12  Violoncellos  4  A  clarinets 

12  Double  basses  8  Bassoons 

6  First  flutes  2  Horns 

6  Second  flutes  6  Cornets 

2  Oboes  d' amour  4  Timpani 

6  First  oboes  1  Organ 


500          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

THE  BEETHOVEN  ORCHESTRA 
Symphony  No.  3 

21  First  violins  2  Oboes 

19  Second  violins  2  Clarinets 
12  Violas  2  Bassoons 
12  Violoncellos  3  Horns 

12  Double  basses  2  Trumpets 

2  Flutes  2  Timpani 

BERLIOZ  ORCHESTRA 

Requiem  Mass 

Center  Orchestra  North  Orchestra 

25  First  violins  4  Cornets  in  B 

25  Second  violins  4  Tenor  trombones 

20  Violas  2  Tubas 

20  Violoncellos  East  Orchestra 

5  £,0li  CS  2  Trumpets  in  F 

2  Trumpets  in  E  flat 

4  Tenor  trombones 
2  English  horns 

4  Clarinets  South  Orchestra 

8  Bassoons  4  Trumpets  in  B 

4  Horns  in  E  flat  4  Tenor  trumpets 

4  Horns  in  F  2  Ophicleides  in  C 

4  Horns  in  G  2  Ophicleides  in  B 

16  Timpani  West  Orchestra 

10  Pairs  of  cymbals  4  Trumpets  in  E  flat 

2  Bass  drums  4  Tenor  trombones 

WAGNER  ORCHESTRA 
Vorspeil  to  the  "  Meistersinger  " 

21  First  violins  2  Clarinets 
19  Second  violins                                 2  Bassoons 
12  Violas  4  Horns 

12  Violoncellos  3  Trumpets 

12  Double  basses  3  Trombones 

2  Flutes  1  Tuba 

2  Piccolos  2  Timpani 

2  Oboes  1  Pair  of  cymbals 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          501 

The  year  which  followed  the  Cincinnati  Festival 
of  1902  was  a  quiet  one,  but  it  contained  at  least 
one  unusual  incident  in  the  visit  to  Chicago  of 
Richard  Strauss.  We  have  had  pleasant  glimpses 
of  this  remarkable  character  from  time  to  time  in 
the  course  of  this  narrative,  and  each  time  he 
has  entered  the  scene  he  has  loomed  larger  and 
larger,  as  a  man  of  mark.  This  time  it  was  not 
he  who  asked  for  a  hearing  of  one  of  his  works, 
but  Thomas  who  invited  him  to  come  and  conduct 
a  programme  of  them.  His  letter  of  acceptance, 
and  Thomas'  answer  to  it  were  as  follows: 

CHARLOTTENBURG,  October  18,  1903. 
Highly  honored  Sir: 

In  thanking  you  for  your  charming  invitation,  I  take 
pleasure  in  appointing  April  1  and  2  as  the  dates  when 
I  shall  make  the  personal  acquaintance  of  your  famous 
orchestra.  How  happy  I  shall  be,  after  twenty  years,  to 
take  you,  who  were  the  first  to  make  my  works  known  in 
America,  by  the  hand,  and  to  thank  you  for  all  that  you 
have  done  for  my  art  since  I  had  the  pleasure,  in  my  old 
home,  to  play  for  you  my  F-minor  symphony  at  that 
time. 

In  the  pleasant  hope  of  greeting  you  again,  highly  hon- 
ored colleague  and  friend,  and  of  finding  you  in  good 
health,  I  remain  in  the  anticipation  of  a  happy  meeting 
always,  honored  sir, 

Your  devoted,  RICHARD  STRAUSS. 

Most  highly  honored  Sir:         CHICAGO,  Nov.  11,  1903. 

Your  genial  letter  of  the  18th  has  given  me  much  pleas- 
ure. It  will  be  an  ever  memorable  satisfaction  to  both 


502          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

myself  and  the  orchestra  to  show  to  the  greatest  musician 
now  living  and  one  of  the  greatest  musical  pioneers  of  all 
times,  our  love  and  respect  for  his  genius  and  knowledge. 
The  name  of  Richard  Strauss  is  one  to  conjure  with  in 
our  audience,  and  I  am  delighted,  dear  sir,  that  during 
your  visit  you  will  find  yourself  surrounded  by  friends 
and  admirers  here. 

In  regard  to  the  programmes,  it  would  be  well  for  me 
to  know  as  soon  as  possible,  in  order  to  carry  out  your 
wishes,  the  music  to  be  performed  which  is  not  already  in 
the  repertoire  of  the  orchestra  this  year.  We  gave  "  Tod 
und  VerTclaerung  "  two  weeks  ago,  and  "  Till  Eulenspiegel  " 
will  soon  follow.  If  you  could  say  now  whether  you  would 
prefer  to  give  "  Zarathustra^  or  "  Heldenleben,"  the  pro- 
gramme, with  Madame  Strauss  as  soloist,  would  be  com- 
plete. The  public  here  would  probably  enjoy  a  produc- 
tion of  "  Zarathustra,"  but  it  might  be  difficult  to  find  four 
good  extra  horn-players.  I  will  conduct  the  opening  num- 
ber, and  the  programme  might  stand  as  follows : 

PART  i 

Overture 

Zarathustra 

Songs 

Intermission 
Till  Eulenspiegel 
Songs 
Tod  und  Verklaerung 

Or,  do  you  prefer  some  other  selections?  Hoping  to 
have  a  few  lines  from  you  soon,  and  to  greet  you  in  Chi- 
cago next  spring,  believe  me, 

Sincerely  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          503 

It  was,  indeed,  a  delight  to  Thomas  when  the 
man  whose  genius  he  had  been  almost  the  first 
to  recognize,  twenty  years  before,  and  who  had 
now  become  the  foremost  figure  in  the  world  of 
music,  stepped  upon  the  stage  of  the  Chicago 
Auditorium  to  conduct  his  orchestra.  Thomas 
had  prepared  the  programme  with  the  utmost  care, 
in  order  that  nothing  should  be  lacking  to  make 
the  performance  a  memorable  one,  and  to  place  the 
distinguished  guest  in  the  most  advantageous  light 
before  the  public.  So  thoroughly  had  he  done 
the  preliminary  work  that,  when  Strauss  arrived, 
he  found  it  necessary  to  hold  only  one  rehearsal 
with  the  orchestra.  At  its  close  he  thus  addressed 
them: 

"  Gentlemen :  I  came  here  in  the  pleasant  expectation  of 
finding  a  superior  orchestra,  but  you  have  far  surpassed 
my  expectations,  and  I  can  say  to  you  that  I  am  delighted 
to  know  you  as  an  orchestra  of  artists  in  whom  beauty  of 
tone,  technical  perfection,  and  discipline  are  found  in  the 
highest  degree.  I  know  that  this  is  due  to  your,  by  me, 
most  highly  revered  Meister,  Theodore  Thomas,  whom  I 
have  known  for  twenty  years,  and  whom  it  gives  me  inex- 
pressible pleasure  to  meet  again  here  in  his  own  workroom. 
Gentlemen,  such  a  rehearsal  as  that  which  we  have  held 
this  morning  is  no  labor,  but  a  great  pleasure,  and  I  thank 
you  all  for  the  hearty  good-will  you  have  shown  towards 
me." 

When  the  concert  came,  the  Auditorium  was 
crowded  from  floor  to  ceiling  with  thousands  of 
music  lovers,  and  as  Thomas  led  the  great  com- 
poser onto  the  stage,  this  vast  concourse  of  people 


504          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

rose  to  their  feet,  cheering  and  applauding,  while 
the  orchestra  blazoned  forth  a  rousing  "  Tusche  " 
of  welcome.  It  was  a  splendid  tribute  of  appre- 
ciation, and  naturally  inspired  Strauss  to  his  best 
effort.  No  one  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  hear 
that  concert  will  ever  forget  the  exquisite  beauty 
of  the  whole  performance. 

On  the  day  following,  another  pleasure  was  in 
store  for  the  two  congenial  musicians,  for  Strauss 
spent  the  morning  in  the  study  of  Thomas,  and 
together  they  read  over  and  discussed  his  works, 
especially  the  ff  Symphonia  Domestica"  which  was 
just  fresh  from  his  pen,  and  which  Thomas  ex- 
pected soon  to  produce.  Altogether  the  visit  of 
Richard  Strauss  was  a  very  pleasant  episode  for 
all  concerned. 

Another  important  incident  of  this  season  was 
the  appointment  of  Frederick  A.  Stock  as  the 
assistant  conductor  of  the  orchestra.  This  re- 
lieved Thomas  of  some  of  the  work  at  home,  and 
of  all  the  traveling  engagements.  For  thirty-three 
years  he  had  been  literally  tortured  by  incessant 
traveling,  and  his  relief  at  being  no  longer  obliged 
to  do  this  class  of  work  was  inexpressible.  At 
the  time  of  Mr.  Stock's  appointment  to  this  im- 
portant position  everyone  wondered  that  Thomas 
should  have  selected  him  for  the  place,  for  he  was 
a  quiet,  modest  young  musician,  who  had  had 
little  or  no  experience  in  conducting,  and  who  did 
not  appear  to  have  much  talent  for  it.  When 
asked  why  he  had  done  so,  Thomas  smiled  that 
inscrutable  smile  of  his  which  indicated  that  he 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          505 

was  not  going  to  answer  any  questions,  and  said: 
"  I  thought  he  could  do  it."  Subsequent  events 
proved  that  Stock  was  able  to  do  it  exceedingly 
well — so  well,  indeed,  that  when  Thomas  laid  down 
the  baton  forever,  Stock  was  appointed  to  his 
vacant  place  by  the  unanimous  desire  of  the  trus- 
tees, the  orchestra,  and  the  general  public,  and 
the  Association  never  had  occasion  to  regret  that 
instead  of  importing  some  famous  man  from 
Europe  they  had  confided  the  musical  direction  of 
the  institution  to  a  man  from  the  ranks  of  their 
own  orchestra,  trained  for  his  work  under  the  hand 
of  its  creator. 

The  Association  had  now  been  maintained  for 
twelve  years,  and  when  the  spring  of  1903  came 
the  trustees  once  more  succeeded  in  raising  a  suffi- 
cient guarantee  to  insure  its  continuance  for  one 
more  year.  But  everyone  felt  that  it  could  not  be 
sustained  in  this  manner  much  longer,  and  the 
uncertainty  of  its  outlook,  in  conjunction  with  his 
own  failing  health,  made  Thomas  feel  a  deep  fore- 
boding that  this  would  be  the  last  season  of  his 
public  career.  Such  being  the  case,  he  seems  to 
have  determined  that  the  programmes,  from  start 
to  finish,  should  be  like  a  necklace  of  pearls,  each 
one  as  perfect  and  beautiful  as  the  rest,  having 
for  a  pendant  the  Cincinnati  Festival  of  1904,  the 
programmes  of  which  were  composed  of  the  lar- 
gest and  most  priceless  gems  of  musical  art. 

Already,  during  the  previous  years,  Thomas  had 
begun  playing  all  the  important  works  of  the 
orchestral  repertoire.  During  the  winter  of 


506          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

1903-04  he  completed  the  list,  and  the  programmes 
for  the  two  seasons  represented  the  whole  range  of 
musical  literature,  and  included  the  most  important 
symphonies  by  the  masters  of  every  nationality. 
In  looking  over  the  programmes  of  these  two  sea- 
sons one  sees  that  Thomas  wished  to  play  for  a 
last  time  all  the  great  compositions  which  it  had 
been  his  life-work  to  teach  to  the  new  world,  and 
to  make  these  last  years  a  resume  of  his  whole 
career.  Amongst  the  great  pianists  who  appeared 
with  him  in  March,  1904,  was  the  Italian  master, 
Ferruccio  Busoni,  who  wrote  him,  shortly  after, 
the  following  letter: 
ME.  THEODOEE  THOMAS.  CHICAGO,  March  15,  1904. 

Most  honored  Master: 

It  was  not  possible  for  me  to  call  upon  you  personally 
while  in  Chicago,  although  I  daily  wished  to  do  so.  Please 
consider  this  only  as  an  enforced  omission. 

Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  the  two  brilliant  appear- 
ances which  you  afforded  me  in  Chicago,  and  permit  me 
modestly,  but  from  my  heart,  to  express  my  wonder  at 
both  your  character  and  your  art.  Your  personality  com- 
mands my  highest  respect,  and  your  influence  is  above  all 
praise. 

Continue  then  the  friendship  which  you  have  hitherto 
shown  me  and  which  I  have  the  honor  to  enjoy. 

Yours, 

FEREUCCIO  BUSONI. 

The  May  Festival  of  1904  brought  the  work  of 
Thomas  to  a  close  in  Cincinnati,  and  its  pro- 
grammes were  of  such  a  caliber  that  it  was  the 
artistic  climax,  not  only  of  the  long  series  of  festi- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          507 

vals  in  that  city,  but,  perhaps,  even  of  Thomas' 
own  career.  One  colossal  work  was  piled  on 
another,  regardless  of  everything  but  the  one 
object  of  making  this  festival  surpass,  in  stand- 
ard and  perfection,  all  that  had  preceded  it. 

PROGRAMMES  OF 

THE  CINCINNATI  FESTIVAL 
MAY,  1904. 

I 

Suite  No.  2,  in  B  minor Bach 

Mass  in  B  minor Bach 

II 

(Matmee) 

Symphony  in  E  flat.  ., . ... . ...  .....  .,. .  .  .Mozart 

Aria,  "  Nie  wird  mich  Hymen,"  Titus. .Mozart 

Entr'acte,  B  minor,  "  Rosamunde  "......• Schubert 

"  Ocean,  Thou  Mighty  Monster  " Weber 

(a)  Variations,   op.   36 Elgar 

(b)  March,  "  Pomp  and  Circumstance  ". ... Elgar 

Symphony  No.  8,  F  major,  op.  93 Beethoven 

"  The  Three  Gypsies  " Liszt 

Bacchanale,  "  Tannhaeuser  " Wagner 

Prelude    and    Isolde's    Love    Death,    "  Tristan    and 

Isolde  " Wagner 

III 

Incidental  music  and  Funeral  March,  "  Grania  and 

Diamid" Elgar 

"  The  Dream  of  Gerontius  " ,. Elgar 

Tone  poem,  "  Death  and  Apotheosis,"  op.  24 ....  Strauss 

Aria,  "  Abscheulicher,"  "  Fidelio  " Beethoven 

Hymn,  op.  26 Berlioz 


508          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

IV 

(Matinee) 

"  Alceste  " Gluck 

Overture — Aria,  "  Divinites  du  Styx." 

Symphony  No.  9,  D  minor,  Unfinished.  .,....,.  .Bruckner 

Rhapsody,  op.  53 , Brahms 

For  Soprano,  Male  Chorus,  and  Orchestra 

Vorspiel,   "  Die   Meistersinger  " Wagner 

Sea  Pictures,  op.  37.  . .  .Elgar 

In  Haven — Where  Corals  Lie — The  Swimmer 
Rondo,  "  Till  Eulenspiegel's  Merry  Pranks  " .  .  .  .  Strauss 

Hymnus,  op.  33 Strauss 

Overture,  "  1812  " Tschaikowsky 

V 

"  Missa  Solennis,"  op.  123.  .  .  .1 , .Beethoven 

Symphony  No.  9,  D  minor,  op.  125 .Beethoven 

That  Thomas,  in  his  weakened  state  of  health, 
should  have  been  able  to  go  through  the  enormous 
strain  of  such  a  series  of  performances  was  only 
another  instance  of  his  iron  will-power.  But 
even  for  him  it  was  well-nigh  impossible.  Two 
circumstances,  however,  helped  him  through. 
First,  the  chorus,  under  the  able  and  musicianly 
training  of  its  director,  Mr.  Edwin  C.  Glover, 
was  in  splendid  condition,  and  Thomas  had  noth- 
ing to  correct  about  its  performance.  It  was, 
indeed,  one  of  the  finest  and  best  prepared 
choruses  he  had  ever  conducted,  and  inspired, 
instead  of  fatiguing  him.  Second,  his  deafness 
had  not,  as  yet,  affected  his  hearing  of  musical 
sounds.  Nature  had  given  him  the  most  mar- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  509 

velous  ears  imaginable,  and  as  one  grew  deaf  the 
hearing  of  the  other  seemed  to  become  only  the 
more  acute,  so  that  to  the  last  he  was  spared  what 
would  have  been  the  worst  calamity  of  life  to 
him — the  loss  of  orchestral  music.  The  per- 
formances at  the  Cincinnati  Festival  were,  there- 
fore, amongst  the  very  finest  that  he  ever  gave  in 
his  life,  and  no  one  in  his  audience  had  the  slight- 
est idea  of  the  strain  under  which  he  worked,  or 
the  nervous  exhaustion  which  overwhelmed  him 
the  moment  he  reached  his  hotel  after  rehearsals 
or  concerts.  But  when  the  Festival  was  ended,  and 
he  was  trying  to  recover  from  the  inevitable  re- 
action in  the  quiet  of  our  mountain  home,  he 
realized  that  he  could  never  do  such  work  again. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
1904 

THE  THOMAS  ORCHESTEA  IS  PERMANENTLY  ENDOWED THE 

BUILDING  OF   THE   THEODORE   THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  HALL 

NOTES    ON    THE    CONSTRUCTION    OF    MUSIC    HALLS,    BY 

THOMAS THE   INAUGURAL   CONCERT DEATH   AND   BUR- 
IAL OF  THOMAS 

THE  affairs  of  the  Orchestral  Association  had 
now  reached  a  crisis.  We  have  seen  that  Thomas 
felt  a  premonition  that  the  season  of  1903-04 
would  be  his  last.  Nevertheless,  as  it  neared  the 
new  year,  he  determined  to  make  one  more  final 
effort  for  the  permanence  of  the  orchestra.  Both 
he  and  the  trustees  recognized  the  futility  of  try- 
ing to  continue  maintaining  it  hy  means  of  an 
annual  guarantee.  People  were  tired  of  giving 
such  a  great  sum  every  year  to  an  institution 
which  never  accomplished  any  permanent  results, 
and  the  trustees  were  doubly  tired  of  soliciting  it. 

In  this  emergency  Thomas  believed  that  the 
time  was  ripe  for  a  bold  stroke,  which  should 
either  win  or  lose  the  orchestra  to  Chicago  within 
the  coming  six  months.  He,  therefore,  said  to  the 
trustees : 

"  It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  make  an  orchestra  perma- 
nent without  its  own  building.  I  found  this  to  be  the  case 
in  New  York,  and  was  obliged  to  give  up  my  orchestra 

510 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          511 

there  for  lack  of  one.  Conditions  in  Chicago  are  similar 
to  what  they  were  in  New  York  when  I  left  there.  We 
now  have  here  a  large  and  cultivated  public,  which  de- 
mands the  highest  forms  of  music,  and,  I  believe,  would 
not  be  willing  to  give  up  the  orchestra.  But  what  is  every- 
body's business  is  nobody's  business,  and  the  people  will 
do  nothing  unless  the  situation  is  brought  before  them 
very  strongly.  I  therefore  ask  you  to  announce  to  the 
general  public  that,  unless  a  sufficient  endowment  can  be 
raised  to  provide  a  suitable  building  in  which  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  our  institution  during  the  next  six  months,  I 
shall  resign  my  position  here  and  go  elsewhere.  I  take  this 
course  because  I  believe  it  is  the  only  way  to  arouse  the 
public  to  quick  and  decisive  action,  and  also  because  if  it 
fails  to  do  so,  I  think  it  is  better  to  disband  the  orchestra 
now,  before  it  piles  up  another  large  debt  for  the  Associa- 
tion to  pay." 

The  trustees  saw  the  wisdom  of  this  course  and 
it  was  mutually  decided  to  put  the  fate  of  the 
institution  "  to  the  touch,  and  win  or  lose  it  all." 

The  Association  was  now  in  the  hands  of  a  very 
strong  group  of  men.  At  its  head  were,  Bryan 
Lathrop,  President,  a  man  whose  name  was  insep- 
arably connected  with  everything  which  made  for 
the  progress  of  Chicago ;  Daniel  H.  Burnham,  First 
Vice-President,  the  famous  architect  and  designer 
of  cities;  Norman  Fay,  Second  Vice-President, 
founder  of  the  institution;  and  a  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, which  included  such  representative  names  as 
J.  J.  Glessner,  Harold  F.  McCormick,  Charles  D. 
Hamill,  etc.  The  initial  move  in  the  undertaking 
was  made  by  Mr.  Burnham,  who  interested  nine 


512          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  the  trustees  in  uniting  with  him  in  subscribing 
$10,000  apiece  toward  securing  a  suitable  building 
lot  for  the  proposed  structure. 

After  this,  one  would  have  supposed  that  to 
raise  the  balance  of  the  fund  would  not  have  been 
difficult,  especially  in  Chicago,  where  things  are 
done  on  such  a  generous  and  magnificent  scale. 
But  such  was  not  the  case.  Hitherto  the  concerts 
had  been  given  in  the  Auditorium,  an  immense 
theater  constructed  by  popular  subscription  some- 
what prior  to  the  founding  of  the  orchestra,  for 
political  conventions  and  operatic  festivals.  Many 
of  the  men  who  had  contributed  largely  to  this 
building  and  also  to  the  orchestra,  not  under- 
standing the  situation,  felt  that  it  was  unnecessary 
to  invest  another  large  sum  of  money  in  a  second 
hall  for  musical  purposes.  The  public  was  also 
divided  on  the  subject,  for  the  Auditorium  was  a 
popular  and  agreeable  hall  for  the  audience,  nor 
could  the  people  understand  why  the  annual  deficit 
of  the  orchestra  should  be  any  smaller  in  a  new 
hall  than  in  the  old.  All  of  these  people,  and 
others,  who  were  more  closely  connected  with  the 
Auditorium,  united  in  a  common  determination  to 
prevent  the  building  of  the  new  hall  if  it  was  a 
possible  thing,  and  before  the  trustees  had  gone 
far,  they  found  themselves  confronted  with  an 
opposition  so  strong  that,  for  a  long  time,  it  was 
doubtful  if  they  could  make  headway  against  it. 
The  situation  was  a  curious  one,  and  the  following 
circular,  issued  by  the  trustees  in  reply  to  argu- 
ments against  the  new  hall  advanced  by  the  op- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          513 

position,  is  quoted  almost  in  full,  as  showing 
concisely  the  general  outlook  of  the  Association, 
and  the  difficulties  under  which  its  indomitable 
trustees  had  maintained  it  for  so  many  years: 

"TO  THE  PATRONS 

OF    THE 

CHICAGO  ORCHESTRA 

"  During  the  last  week  there  has  appeared  in  the  public 
press  a  communication  from  the  Directors  of  the  Audi- 
torium Association  regarding  the  use  of  the  Auditorium 
by  the  Orchestral  Association,  which  has  evoked  some  edi- 
torial and  other  comment.  This,  and  the  necessities  of 
the  situation,  make  it  advisable  that  the  Trustees  of  the 
Orchestral  Association  should  inform  the  public  thor- 
oughly regarding  its  affairs,  and  we  now  take  pleasure 
in  doing  so.  ...  The  immediate  reason  for  the  attempt 
to  provide  a  new  hall,  of  which  we  shall  shortly  speak, 
is  the  excessive  size  of  the  Auditorium.  We  know  by  eleven 
years'  actual  experience  that  it  is  fifty  per  cent,  too  large 
for  our  average  audience,  and  that  this  excess  capacity 
prevents  a  sufficient  season  sale,  which  is  or  should  be  the 
foundation  of  our  income.  We  are  practically  certain 
that  the  concerts  cannot  go  on  in  the  Auditorium  without 
entailing  a  continuing  annual  deficit  of  between  twenty- 
five  thousand  and  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

"  We  are  equally  certain  that  it  is  impossible  to  continue 
meeting  this  deficit  as  heretofore,  by  the  precarious  ex- 
pedient of  subscriptions  annually  solicited.  Of  the  fifty- 
four  original  guarantors  of  the  Association,  twenty-two 
have  died  or  left  Chicago,  or  suffered  financial  reverses; 
and  of  the  remainder  only  twelve  continue  to  contribute 


514          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

regularly.  Beside  these  original  guarantors,  ninety  other 
individuals  have  contributed  once  or  more,  of  whom  thir- 
teen still  contribute  regularly,  making  but  twenty-five  per- 
sons in  all  who  have  actually  stood  the  strain  of  an  annual 
appeal  for  aid.  This  number  is  not  sufficient,  and  con- 
stantly grows  smaller  under  the  belief  that  the  Orchestra 
will  somehow  go  on. 

"  Recognizing  the  emergency,  at  the  close  of  last  season 
we  formally  resolved  to  disband  the  Orchestra  forever  at 
the  close  of  the  present  season,  unless  meantime  an  ade- 
quate endowment  should  be  secured.  We  still  feel  that  it 
would  be  best  to  end  its  honorable  career  now,  while  it  is 
at  the  very  height  of  its  perfection,  before  financial  weak- 
ness shall  bring  decadence  and  perhaps  disaster.  It  is  al- 
most needless  to  say  that  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  is  in 
thorough  accord  with  us  in  this  decision.  He  has  warned 
us  for  years  that  we  were  wasting  effort  and  money  unless 
our  purpose  was  ultimately  to  found  a  permanent  insti- 
tution. On  our  part,  we  have  waited  only  for  a  time  of 
general  prosperity  to  make  a  final  attempt  to  do  so,  and 
that  time  has  now  arrived. 

"  In  considering  the  form  which  an  endowment,  if  se- 
cured, should  take,  we  were  led  partly  by  our  own  experi- 
ence and  that  of  Boston,  but  mainly  by  consistency  to  our 
purpose  of  founding  a  permanent  institution,  to  propose  its 
investment  in  a  simple  but  beautiful  Music  Hall,  in  a  con- 
venient and  conspicuous  situation,  built  for,  owned  and  con- 
trolled by  the  Orchestra.  Careful  and  conservative  esti- 
mates satisfy  us  that  the  saving  of  the  rental  now  paid  the 
Auditorium,  and  the  selling  out  of  the  greater  portion  of 
the  house  at  our  season  sale,  without  raising  prices,  which 
would  certainly  result  (as  in  Boston)  from  a  proper  rela- 
tion of  seating  capacity  to  average  audience,  would  more 
than  prevent  an  annual  deficit,  while  the  rentals  of  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          515 

hall  for  other  purposes  would  more  than  pay  for  its  main- 
tenance and  operating  expenses.  Thus  the  mere  fact  of 
its  ownership  would  permanently  finance  the  Orchestral 
Association. 

"  But  the  possession  of  a  home  means  much  more  than 
sound  finance,  important  as  that  is,  to  such  an  institution 
as  we  contemplate.  Where  would  be  to-day  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, the  Cooper  Union,  or  our  own  Art  Institute,  if 
they  had  not  their  own  dignified  and  noble  seats,  and  had 
been  obliged  to  hide  themselves  in  hired  quarters?  To 
what  would  affection  and  tradition  cling,  or  imagination 
turn?  Where  would  be  their  dignity  and  authority  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people,  or  their  influence  and  effect  upon  their 
own  members?  Where,  indeed,  would  be  their  membership 
itself,  or  their  numerous  benefactors?  Recognizing  this 
tendency  of  human  enthusiasm  to  center  about  a  fixed 
site  and  a  monumental  building,  we  wish  to  give  our  Or- 
chestra both  as  the  best  guarantee  that  it  will  endure 
and  exercise  a  lasting  influence  upon  musical  art,  that  our 
people  will  venerate  and  love  it  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration, and  that  membership  in  it  shall  mean  to  the 
musicians  of  the  world  the  highest  professional  distinction. 
This  has  been  our  dream. 

"  Sharing  it,  ten  friends  of  the  Orchestra  a  few  weeks 
ago  purchased  on  joint  account  the  lot  on  Michigan  Ave- 
nue, just  south  of  the  Pullman  building,  105  feet  front 
by  171  feet  deep,  for  the  sum  of  $450,000,  paying  $100,- 
000  down  and  giving  a  mortgage  for  $350,000,  with  the 
intention  of  turning  it  over  at  cost  to  the  Orchestral  As- 
sociation as  a  site  for  a  permanent  Music  Hall,  provided 
the  necessary  funds  to  buy  and  build  upon  it  can  be 
secured  within  a  few  months.  If  not,  it  will  remain  their 
property,  and  they  have  already  a  chance  to  sell  it  for 
commercial  purposes  at  a  profit  of  $50,000.  Messrs.  D. 


516         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

H.  Burnham  &  Co.  estimate  that  a  Music  Hall  of  great 
beauty,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  2,500,  suitable  for  the 
concerts  of  the  Orchestra  and  certain  public  uses,  can  be 
built  for  between  $250,000  and  $300,000,  so  that  the  en- 
tire investment  proposed  aggregates  $750,000. 

"  Whether  this  large  sum  can  be  raised  is,  we  regret  to 
say,  as  yet  very  uncertain.  We  had  thought  that,  per- 
haps, some  generous  individual  might  write  his  name  large 
in  the  annals  of  Chicago  for  the  next  few  centuries  by 
building  and  naming  this  Music  Hall ;  but  so  far  none  has 
appeared.  Many  of  those  to  whom  we  would  naturally 
turn  for  considerable  sums  seem  to  regard  the  Orchestra 
as  a  mere  public  amusement,  which  should  be  supported 
altogether  by  its  box  office  or  allowed  to  fail.  Others 
suggest  that  the  number  and  salaries  of  the  players  be 
reduced  to  cut  expenses,  and  light  music  given  to  draw 
the  crowd,  so  as  to  put  the  Orchestra  upon  a  '  business  ' 
basis. 

"  While  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  an  inferior  or- 
chestra playing  popular  programmes  would  be  self-sus- 
taining throughout  a  long  season  (the  experiment  has 
been  tried  and  failed  repeatedly),  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say  that  the  Trustees  and  the  Director  of  the  present 
Orchestra  have  carried  it  on  hitherto  as  an  art  and  edu- 
cational institution,  worthy  of  endowment,  and  would  cour- 
teously decline  to  take  further  interest  in  it,  if  it  is  to 
become  a  mere  amusement  enterprise.  We  believe  our 
present  public  would  repudiate  us  and  it  if  we  did.  Broadly 
speaking,  there  seems  to  be  no  possible  union  of  pure  art 
or  pure  education  and  commercial  profit.  There  has  prob- 
ably not  been  in  the  history  of  the  world  a  single  self- 
supporting  institution  devoted  to  the  higher  forms  of  art 
or  learning.  If  self-support  at  the  box-office  must  be 
applied  to  our  Orchestra  as  a  criterion  of  its  value  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          517 

Chicago,  it  must  be  found  wanting.  Nevertheless,  of  the 
$1,383,000  which  it  had  cost  up  to  the  end  of  last  season, 
$1,012,000  was  paid  in  at  the  box  office  by  the  public. 

"  Since  the  announcement  of  the  purchase  of  the  lot,  the 
officers  of  the  Auditorium  Association  have  courteously 
protested  to  us  against  our  proposed  Hall  as  unnecessary 
and  injurious  to  the  Auditorium.  ...  A  compromise 
course  has  been  suggested:  namely,  To  remodel  the  Audi- 
torium, somewhat  reducing  its  size,  though  perhaps  de- 
stroying its  proportion,  and  to  raise  an  endowment  fund 
for  the  Orchestra,  to  be  invested  in  interest-bearing  securi- 
ties, whose  income  shall  meet  our  deficit.  Our  judgment 
upon  this  is  that,  while  alteration  would  necessarily  be 
experimental,  and  its  result  doubtful,  it  could  not  afford 
a  permanent  solution  of  our  difficulty,  nor  give  the  insti- 
tution for  which  we  have  spent  so  much  the  character 
we  have  so  long  desired  and  proposed.  Moreover,  we 
doubt  the  possibility  of  raising  such  an  endowment  fund. 
To  put  money  away  in  bonds,  whose  income  shall  be  used 
to  pay  a  deficit,  does  not  appeal  to  the  average  imagina- 
tion. Men  wish  something  to  show  for  their  money.  Some 
of  our  best  friends  have  declined  to  subscribe  to  such  a 
fund.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have  already  a  response  of 
$100,000  to  the  proposition  to  found  a  home  for  the 
Orchestra.  As  an  endowment  with  us  is  a  matter  of  life 
and  death,  we  naturally  incline  to  seek  it  in  the  form  men 
seem  most  willing  to  give  it. 

"  While  we  have  determined  to  abandon  the  Orchestra  at 
the  end  of  this  season  rather  than  to  let  it  deteriorate  and 
come  to  an  inglorious  end  for  lack  of  money,  it  goes  with- 
out saying  that  it  will  be  a  bitter  chagrin  to  us  should  the 
time  arrive  when  this  noble  and  dearly  bought  possession 
must  be  thrown  away  in  the  very  flower  of  its  perfection. 
Our  honored  Director,  too,  has  hoped  to  crown  a  long  life 


518 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 


of  hard  work  for  musical  art  in  this  country  by  leaving 
behind  him  a  well-founded  institution,  to  hand  down  the 
tradition  of  pure  musical  form  and  style  to  future  gen- 
erations of  American  musicians.  We  shall  therefore  make 
the  best  fight  we  can  during  the  next  six  weeks,  for  the 
integrity  of  our  Orchestra  as  it  stands,  and  its  perpetua- 
tion hereafter.  That  is  all  the  time  we  have. 

"  The  exact  situation  to-day  is  that  the  ten  gentlemen 
who  bought  the  ground  have  offered  to  head  a  subscrip- 
tion of  not  less  than  $750,000,  with  personal  subscrip- 
tions of  $10,000  each,  aggregating  $100,000.  But  it 
will  require  seventy-five  such  subscriptions  to  make  up  the 
total.  We  are  therefore  not  over  sanguine  of  success.  If 
among  those  who  have  listened  to  the  Orchestra  all  these 
years,  there  are  voices  to  raise  in  its  behalf,  now  is  the 
time  to  raise  them.  If  there  is  money  to  give,  now  is  the 
time  to  pledge  it. 

GEO.  E.  ADAMS 
JOSEPH  ADAMS 
D.  H.  BUBNHAM 
WM.  L.  BROWN 
HAROLD  F.  McCoRMiCK 
C.  N.  FAT 

J.  J.  GLESSNER  >•  Trustees. 

CHARLES  D.  HAMILL 
BRYAN  LATHROP 
FRANK  O.  LOWDEN 
ARTHUR  ORR 
PHILO  A.  OTIS 
WM.  B.  WALKER 
CHICAGO,  Feb.  Ifc,  1903." 

After  issuing  this  circular,  announcements,  ad- 
vertisements, appeals  and  even  a  house-to-house 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          519 

canvass  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession, 
from  not  only  the  trustees,  but  everyone  who 
cared  for  the  orchestra.  Never  before  in  the  his- 
tory of  America  was  the  preservation  of  an  art 
institution  labored  for  by  so  many,  or  such  widely 
diverse  classes  of  people.  When  the  great  sub- 
scription list  was  finally  complete,  to  the  amaze- 
ment of  Thomas  and  the  trustees,  it  was  found 
to  contain  more  than  eight  thousand  names, 
amongst  which  were  those  of  janitors,  scrub- 
women, seamstresses,  clerks,  and  wage-earners  of 
all  sorts,  as  well  as  those  of  the  wealthy  and 
cultivated. 

To  the  firm  of  D.  H.  Burnham  &  Co.  was  in- 
trusted the  building  of  the  new  hall — a  labor  of 
love  on  their  part,  it  is  needless  to  say — and  when 
Thomas  left  for  his  summer  vacation  in  the 
mountains,  he  was  assured  that  it  would  be  com- 
pleted and  ready  for  use  by  his  return  in  the 
fall. 

After  giving  ten  thousand  concerts,  and  more 
than  twice  ten  thousand  rehearsals,  in  the  best 
halls  and  theaters  of  every  city  in  America,  it 
may  be  supposed  that  Thomas  had  a  very  accu- 
rate knowledge  of  what  was  necessary  for  the 
planning,  building,  and  equipment  of  a  hall  for 
orchestral  purposes.  It  is,  therefore,  of  interest 
to  insert  here  his  ideas  in  detail.  I  am  able  to  do 
this  in  his  own  words,  owing  to  the  following  cir- 
cumstance. In  1897  Thomas  was  asked  by  the 
eminent  architectural  writer,  Mr.  Russell  Sturgis, 
to  supply  him  with  an  article  on  the  construction 


520          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  music  halls,  for  a  Dictionary  of  Architecture 
which  he  was  at  that  time  compiling  for  the  Mac- 
millan  Company.  Thomas  did  not  like  to  write  for 
publication,  saying,  "  I  have  been  so  long  before 
the  public  as  an  expert  in  my  own  profession  that 
I  do  not  care  to  come  before  it  now  as  an  amateur 
in  another."  On  this  Mr.  Sturgis  asked  for  notes 
on  the  subject,  which  he  could  embody  in  an  article 
of  his  own.  Thomas  agreed  to  supply  them,  but 
in  the  end  he  wrote  the  desired  information  out 
so  fully  that  Mr.  Sturgis  was  able  to  use  it  almost 
verbatim.  It  is  reprinted  here  by  the  kind  per- 
mission of  Mr.  Sturgis  and  the  Macmillan  Com- 
pany: 

NOTES  ON  THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF  MUSIC 
HALLS 

By  THEODORE  THOMAS 

I.  Soft  wood  should  be  used  to  cover,  or  line,  the  walls 
of  a  music  hall  throughout,  replacing  plaster.     Under  no 
circumstances  should  there  be  anywhere  a  brick  wall  not 
so  covered.     Nor  should  the  wall  facing  the  stage  be  of 
brick.      The  hall  should  be  a   separate   structure,   built 
within  and  separated  from  the  outer  walls  and  roof  of  the 
building,  the  spaces  between  being  used  for  foyers,  stair- 
cases, etc.,  as  is  customary. 

II.  It  is  necessary  that  the  walls  and  ceiling  should 
be  connected  by  a  continuous  curve  which  will  allow  the 
sound  waves  to  move  unhindered  and  fast  enough  not  to  be 
caught  by  new  waves.     A  similar,  if  not  the  same  curve 
should  be  used  to  connect  the  side  walls  with  the  ceiling, 
as  well  as  that  facing  the  stage.    It  is  often  good  to  have 


The  Theodore  Thomas  Orchestra  Hall,  Chicago 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          521 

the  ceiling  of  the  entire  hall  slope  gradually  down  towards 
the  stage.  The  height  of  the  highest  point  of  the  audi- 
torium is  not  important,  but  the  point  where  the  ceiling 
joins  the  wall  back  of  the  stage  should  not  exceed  thirty- 
five  feet  in  a  large  hall,  and  should  be  even  less  in  a  small 
one.  The  object  of  limiting  the  height  of  the  hall  above 
the  stage  is  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the  tone.  If  the 
ceiling  is  too  high  the  tone  loses  something  before  it 
reaches  the  audience;  also,  in  orchestral  performances,  the 
various  choirs  cannot  blend.  A  stage  should  never  have 
the  form  of  an  alcove,  with  a  semicircular  wall  having 
a  half-dome  for  a  ceiling. 

III.  A  music  hall  should  not  be  built  on  a  rock  founda- 
tion, nor  should  it  have  another  hall  beneath  it,  as  the 
large  empty  space  below  causes  too  much  vibration  and 
acts  on  the  principle  of  a  drum.    An  ordinary  cellar,  with- 
out flooring,  and  on  a  soft  soil  is  better. 

IV.  A  modern   orchestra  has  a  large  choir  of  brass 
instruments,  and  one  of  percussion.     These  can  only  be 
placed  behind  the  string  and  wood  choirs.     For  this  rea- 
son, and  in  order  to  be  in  communication  with  the  con- 
ductor, their  seats  must  be  on  raised  platforms.     Now, 
neither  a  brass  instrument  nor  a  drum  expresses  its  true 
character  unless  played  with  a  certain  freedom.     In  order 
that  the  wall  at  the  back  of  the  stage  shall  not  give  too 
great  resonance   for  these   instruments,   these  platforms 
must  be  set  at  some  distance  in  front  of  that  wall.     Other 
means  for  diminishing  the  too  great  brilliancy  of  the  brass 
and  percussion  instruments  may  be  employed ;  thus,  a  per- 
manent chorus  stage,  or  series  of  platforms  with  seats 
rising  one  above  the  other  may  be  constructed.     Or,  if 
chorus  seats  cannot  be  established  here,  there  may  be  an 
opening  between  the  orchestra  and  the  rear  wall  of  the 
stage,  above,  or  on  each  side,  or  both,  to  reduce  the  super- 


522 

fluous  force  of  the  brass  and  percussion  choirs,  and  to 
enable  them  to  blend  with,  instead  of  overpowering  the 
other  instruments.  Resort  to  this  method  has  been  found 
necessary  when,  as  in  the  Chicago  Auditorium,  or  any 
ordinary  theater,  the  orchestra  played  on  a  stage  cased 
with  canvas  scenery  and  ceiling.  Here  the  drop  scene  at 
the  rear  of  the  stage  had  to  be  moved  back  from  six  to 
ten  feet  behind  the  orchestra,  and  the  canvas  ceiling  also 
cut  away  from  over  the  same  space.  When  such  expedi- 
ents are  necessary,  care  must  be  taken  that  no  draught 
can  come  through  these  openings,  as  the  effect  of  draughts 
on  the  instruments  makes  a  good  performance  impossible. 

V.  The  sounding  board  is  only  useful  in  the  open  air, 
or  in  a  very  large  building  or  theater.     Its  purpose  is  to 
throw  the  tone  directly  toward  the  auditorium.     Apart 
from  this  it  is  objectionable,  for  it  affects  the  tone  quality 
by  forcing  it.     The  summer  concerts  in  Chicago,  from 
1879  to  1890,  given  in  a  vast  building  two  blocks  long, 
were  very  satisfactory,  although  we  had  an  orchestra  of 
only  fifty  or  sixty  musicians,  because  of  a  sounding  board, 
made  of  thin  wood. 

VI.  An  escape  for  the  sound  through  the  roof  is  not 
practicable  because  the  tone  waves  from  the  stage  should 
travel  undisturbed  through  the  whole  building.     A  high 
and  deep  gallery  is  good  because  the  tone  waves  can  run 
out  and  disappear  gradually,  as  the  Rhine  loses  itself  in 
the  sand.     It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  the 
seats  under  the  gallery  are  never  good  for  hearing  music, 
consequently  the  upper  gallery  should  be  a  continuation 
of  the  hall,  built  over  the  foyer  of  the  second  story.     The 
bare  wall  above  this  gallery  is,  however,  very  apt  to  throw 
the  sound  back  into  the  parquet,  even  as  far  as  the  stage, 
causing  confusion.     This  space  might,  perhaps,  be  cov- 
ered with  some  soft  material,  but  this  is  the  only  place 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          523 

where  such  material  could  be  used  to  advantage,  as  the 
audience  itself  usually  absorbs  the  sound  as  much  as  is 
necessary.  Certainly  no  hanging  should  be  put  over  the 
stage,  where  it  would  influence  the  life  and  quality  of  the 
tone. 

VII.  A  hall  may  be  good  for  vocal  music,  or  for  instru- 
mental solos,   and  yet  be  absolutely  bad  for  orchestral 
music.      The  modern  orchestra  has  endless   resources   in 
color  and  rhythmical  combination  partly  in  consequence 
of  its  numerical  strength.     Where  Mozart,  and  even  Bee- 
thoven used  only  one  or  two  flutes,  the  modern  composer 
uses  three  or  four,  thereby  establishing  an  independent 
choir  of  flutes  alone,  enabling  him  to  give  the  full  harmony 
of  instruments  of  the  same  tone  quality.     It  is  the  same 
with  all  the  other  instruments.     It  can  be  seen  that  when 
a  separate  choir  can  be  formed  of  each  individual  kind  of 
instrument,  there  must  be  many  distinct  tone-colors,  inde- 
pendent of  the  mixtures  produced  by  combining  the  dif- 
ferent choirs.     This  possible  independence  of  the  choirs, 
each  of  the  other,  allows  many  different  rhythms  to  be 
used  at  the  same  time,  giving  a  certain  undercurrent  of 
life.      Too   much  vibration   will  prevent  the   rhythmical 
combinations  from  being  audible.     The  modern  orchestra 
represents  polyphony,  as  opposed  to  the  homophony  rep- 
resented by  the  soloist. 

VIII.  An  empty  hall  should  have  much  resonance,  but 
no  echo.     It  is  advisable  to  have  a  number  of  aisles  in  the 
parquet,  the  floors  of  which  should  be  covered  with  a  thin 
carpet,  and  which  should  always  be  kept  unoccupied  by 
the  audience.     There  is  scarcely  anything  which  takes  so 
much  from  the  brilliancy  of  the  tone,  as  a  packed  parquet 
without  open  passages. 

IX.  To  the  above  considerations  should  be  added  the 
historical  distinction  between  the  instrumentation  of  the 


524          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

time  of  Mozart  and  Beethoven,  and  that  of  the  present 
day.  It  is  probable  that  nothing  could  be  done  more 
instructive  for  music,  in  the  best  sense,  than  the  building 
and  careful  preparation  of  a  small  music  hall,  and  the 
organization  of  a  small  orchestra  exactly  such  as 
Mozart  is  known  to  have  used.  To  this  orchestra  should 
be  intrusted  the  rendering  of  the  classical  music  exactly 
as  it  was  first  composed.  The  performance  of  the  works 
of  the  great  eighteenth-century  masters  by  the  full  mod- 
ern orchestra,  is  of  necessity  a  translation  from  one  lan- 
guage into  another,  although  a  kindred  language.  A 
similar  change  in  the  interpretation  of  music  is  made, 
when  that  which  was  written  for  the  spinet  is  performed 
on  a  grand  piano. 

The  new  "  Orchestra  Hall,"  as  it  was  at  first 
named,  was  built  just  after  the  terrible  burning 
of  the  Iroquois  Theater,  and  the  consequent  enact- 
ment of  the  most  stringent  ordinances  in  regard 
to  the  building  and  management  of  all  halls  and 
theaters.  The  architects  were  very  much  ham- 
pered by  those  ordinances,  which  forbade  the  use 
of  wood  for  floors,  walls,  or  ceilings.  The  lot 
on  which  the  hall  was  built  was  also  too  short  to 
allow  them  to  carry  out  all  of  the  ideas  of  Thomas. 
Nevertheless,  the  hall  was  an  almost  ideal  place 
for  concert  purposes  when  it  was  finished,  and 
a  brief  description  of  its  chief  features  will  there- 
fore be  of  interest,  and  also  serve  to  show  what 
are  the  needs  of  a  great  orchestral  institution,  and 
why  it  is  essential  to  its  permanency  to  own  and 
control  its  especially  constructed  building. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          525 

In  its  general  plan  the  hall  followed,  as  nearly  as 
the  conditions  just  mentioned  would  permit,  the 
suggestions  of  Thomas.  The  stage  was  not  an 
inclosed  space  behind  a  proscenium  arch,  although 
an  ingeniously  contrived  ornamental  molding 
gave  it  somewhat  that  appearance.  Instead,  it 
extended  across  the  full  width  of  the  hall,  and  its 
walls  and  ceiling  were  united  by  unbroken  planes 
with  those  of  the  main  body  of  the  house,  having 
just  the  right  curves,  so  that  the  tones  of  the  vari- 
ous choirs  could  blend  and  expand  in  the  proper 
proportion,  and  permeate  the  whole  auditorium 
equally,  like  smoke  or  vapor,  while  against  this 
soft,  iridescent  background,  special  effects,  like 
bursts  of  flame,  could  be  introduced  at  the  will 
of  the  conductor.  The  height  over  the  stage  was 
moderate,  but  as  the  hall  receded  from  it,  the 
ceiling  rose,  and  was  slightly  broken  by  arched 
mouldings  each  a  little  higher  than  the  one  before, 
preventing  echoes,  or  the  interference  of  returning 
tone  waves.  To  counteract  the  hard  quality  of 
tone  which  Thomas  feared  might  result  from  the 
use  of  iron  and  cement  in  the  interior  finish  of  the 
hall,  he  had  the  long  ornamental  panels  over  the 
stage  filled  with  wire  netting  covered  with  cloth, 
instead  of  with  the  solid  steel  plates  originally  de- 
signed. He  also  had  as  much  wood  as  permis- 
sion could  be  obtained  for,  built  on  the  stage  in 
the  form  of  platforms  for  chorus  and  orchestra, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  by  these  devices  the  acoustics  of 
the  hall  were  made  very  satisfactory  in  spite  of  the 
obstacles  put  in  the  way  by  the  city  fathers. 


526          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Behind  the  stage  were  a  number  of  private 
dressing-rooms  for  solo  performers  and  conductor, 
as  well  as  lockers  in  which  to  store  the  harps,  tim- 
pani, and  other  large  instruments  when  not  in 
use.  Under  the  stage  was  a  commodious  room 
for  the  use  of  the  orchestra.  Here  each  man  had 
his  own  locker  in  which  he  could  keep  his  dress 
suit,  extra  strings,  small  instruments,  or  anything 
else  that  he  might  need  in  connection  with  his 
work.  To  one  side  of  this  was  a  small  room  with 
deadened  walls  in  which  a  solo  violinist  could 
"  warm "  (practice  on)  his  instrument  and  pre- 
pare it  for  performance  while  a  concert  was  in 
progress,  without  being  heard  by  the  audience. 
Another  very  large  room  was  fitted  up  as  a  cloak- 
room for  a  chorus.  Still  others,  which  were  kept 
at  a  uniform  temperature,  and  free  from  damp- 
ness, were  devoted  to  the  storage  of  the  'cellos, 
double  basses,  and  instruments  not  provided  for 
above,  such  as  the  schellenbaum,  bell-piano,  tam- 
tam, piano,  church  bells,  and  many  others,  as  well 
as  the  large  cases  for  instruments  and  music  used 
in  traveling.  Into  these  rooms  no  one  had 
admission  but  the  librarian  and  his  assistant, 
so  that  the  valuable  instruments  stored  here  were 
always  safe  from  careless  handling,  or  the  still 
more  disastrous  injuries  of  steam  heat  or  damp- 
ness. Other  large  rooms  were  provided  for  the 
storage  of  the  orchestra  chairs,  music  racks,  extra 
platforms,  and  paraphernalia  of  all  sorts.  Finally, 
there  was  a  completely  appointed  library,  100  feet 
long  by  20  feet  wide,  where  Thomas'  great  col- 


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MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          527 

lection  of  music  could  be  stored  in  inclosed  cases, 
and  furnished  with  long  tables  and  desks  where  it 
could  be  sorted  and  repaired,  and  where  librarians 
and  copyists  could  work  comfortably.  The  storing 
and  care  of  this  great  library  had  always  been 
one  of  the  most  difficult  problems  to  Thomas,  for 
its  size,  and  the  fact  that  a  large  portion  of  it  was 
in  constant  use,  and  therefore  had  to  be  accessible 
at  all  times,  made  it  almost  impossible  to  manage 
in  a  private  house,  besides  necessitating  the  trans- 
porting of  a  great  mass  of  music  back  and  forth 
between  the  hall  and  the  house  every  day.  Every 
nook  and  corner  of  his  house  which  would  hold 
a  music  case  was  filled  with  it,  and,  in  addition,  an 
extra  building  was  erected  in  the  rear  and  packed 
with  the  overflow.  Some  idea  of  the  size  of  the 
library  can  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  Thomas 
never  had  less  than  two  librarians  and  a  copyist  to 
take  care  of  it,  and  it  required  the  whole  time  of 
these  three  men  to  attend  to  simply  that  part  which 
was  in  use  in  the  regular  orchestral  concerts.  Be- 
sides the  orchestral  music  there  was  everything 
imaginable  in  it  for  choral  and  operatic  per- 
formances and  chamber  concerts,  together  with  all 
the  great  concertos  for  every  instrument,  and  much 
vocal  and  piano  literature.  It  contained,  also, 
collections  of  the  programmes  of  other  orchestras, 
librettos,  books  of  reference,  and — last  but  not 
least — a  complete  collection  of  his  own  ten  thou- 
sand programmes.  Thomas  valued  these  pro- 
grammes more  than  anything  in  the  library,  not 
merely  because  they  were  his  own  work,  but  be- 


528          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

cause  they  represented  the  history  of  music  in 
America  during  its  first  half -century.  When  he 
had  begun  his  career,  music  was  in  a  hardly  more 
than  embryonic  state.  He  was  the  pioneer  to  blaze 
the  trail  for  those  who  came  after,  except  in  two 
or  three  cities,  and  even  in  these  he  raised  the 
standard  far  higher  than  it  had  been  before.  As 
he  went  on,  it  was  his  principle  to  play  the  current, 
as  well  as  the  old  and  tried  literature,  especially 
American  works,  and  to  engage  every  worthy  solo- 
ist who  could  be  obtained,  year  by  year.  If, 
therefore,  one  wishes  to  know  what  music  was 
played  at  any  given  time,  or  in  any  given  city,  or 
when  any  particular  artist  was  before  the  Ameri- 
can public,  he  has  only  to  look  it  up  in  these 
programmes  and  he  will  find  both  music  and  artist 
enrolled  there  in  their  due  order.  As  Thomas 
continued  this  from  1855  to  1904,  the  historical 
value  of  his  collection  of  programmes  is  impor- 
tant, in  addition  to  their  artistic  worth.* 

Hardly  less  agreeable  to  Thomas  than  the  fore- 
going artistic  facilities  of  the  new  building,  was 
the  prospect  of  a  pleasant  office  in  which  to  trans- 
act the  business  part  of  his  profession.  Hitherto  he 
and  his  manager  had  had  to  discuss  all  the  innumer- 


*  After  his  death  the  widow  and  heirs  of  Thomas  divided  his  library 
between  the  Orchestral  Association  and  the  Newberry  Library  of 
Chicago:  to  the  Orchestral  Association  were  given  all  the  orchestra 
"  parts, "and  most  of  the  modern  scores  ;  to  the  Newberry  Library  were 
given  the  classic  scores,  and  those  of  modern  writers  in  which  the  anno- 
tations of  Thomas  were  especially  valuable  to  musical  students.  The 
books  of  reference,  and  the  collection  of  Thomas  programmes  were  also 
placed  here,  where  they  are  now  accessible  to  the  public. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          529 

able  business  details  of  the  orchestra,  seated  on  a 
couple  of  dirty  wooden  chairs,  behind  the  scenes 
of  the  Auditorium  stage,  in  a  light  too  dim  to 
read  by,  and  with  scene  shifters  noisily  at  work 
around  them  preparing  the  stage  for  the  next 
performance.  After  thirteen  years  of  this  kind  of 
inconvenience,  the  prospect  of  a  clean,  quiet,  well- 
appointed  office,  where  he  could  be  alone  and  un- 
disturbed with  his  manager  and  other  officials,  was 
not  the  least  of  the  anticipated  pleasures  of  his 
new  orchestral  home.  Nor  were  present  necessities 
all  that  were  provided  for  in  this  unique  building. 
It  contained,  in  addition  to  the  large  hall,  a  small 
one,  in  which  Thomas  planned  to  give  perform- 
ances of  classic  music  with  the  exact  orchestra 
of  the  classic  writers,  as  well  as  chamber  concerts, 
which  last,  he  often  said,  were  the  foundation  of 
all  musical  culture.  There  were  also  in  the  build- 
ing several  stories  of  fine  offices,  so  arranged  that 
at  any  time  they  could  be  easily  converted  into 
classrooms,  when  the  money  should  be  raised  for 
the  musical  university  Thomas  had  so  long  planned 
for.  In  short,  everything  looked  bright  and  hope- 
ful for  the  future,  and  for  the  first  time  in  his 
long  and  arduous  career  Thomas  was  able  to  rest 
serene  in  the  knowledge  that  his  work  was  at  last 
assured  beyond  the  current  year,  and  to  plan  for 
its  development  on  permanent  lines. 

But  alas,  it  was  too  late.  Already  he  felt  within 
himself  the  approaching  end,  and  said  sadly,  "  I 
have  sown,  but  others  will  garner  the  harvest." 
All  through  the  summer  of  1904  he  was  rapidly 


530          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

breaking  down.  One  ear  was  now  entirely  deaf, 
and  one  eye  nearly  blind.  Both  heart  and  nerves 
were  in  bad  condition,  and  the  catarrh  of  the 
throat  was  so  deeply  seated  that  even  the  air  of 
Felsengarten  no  longer  gave  him  any  relief.  For 
the  first  time  a  cloud  hung  over  our  home-life — 
a  cloud  that  we  could  neither  forget  nor  dispel. 

I  have  just  spoken  of  the  value  Thomas  placed 
upon  his  programmes,  because  of  their  historical 
importance.  He  had  for  some  years  been  anxious 
to  have  them  published,  in  order  that  they  might 
be  preserved  and  made  accessible  to  the  public. 
His  old  friend,  Mr.  Upton,  now  came  forward 
and  consented  to  undertake  the  arduous  task  of 
editing  them,  and  at  his  request  Thomas  wrote  a 
short  autobiographical  sketch  to  serve  as  an  in- 
troduction to  the  volumes.  All  through  the  sum- 
mer of  1904  he  sat  in  a  darkened  room,  writing  this 
little  sketch,  or  committing  to  memory  new  scores  to 
be  played  in  the  concerts  of  the  coming  season,  in 
order  that  he  need  not  be  dependent  on  the  notes  in 
public.  The  heart  trouble  from  which  he  suffered 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  work  out  of  doors 
as  in  former  years,  and  he  could  only  walk  quietly 
about,  saw  in  hand,  and  do  a  little  light  pruning. 
It  was  pathetic  to  see  the  old,  sick  lion,  wander- 
ing slowly  through  the  woods  where  he  had  been 
wont  to  roam  in  all  the  glory  of  abounding  health 
and  strength,  or  trying  to  spur  his  jaded  energies 
on  to  meet  the  tasks  of  the  coming  winter, — the 
more  so  that  he  did  not  murmur  or  repine,  but 
wore  his  customary  cheery  face,  and  seemed  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          531 

feel  the  same  deep  and  quiet  content  that  always 
pervaded  his  spirit  at  Felsengarten. 

Just  previous  to  leaving  Chicago  in  the  spring, 
Thomas  had  received  the  following  letter  from  Mr. 
E.  Francis  Hyde,  of  New  York,  written  on  the 
part  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  that  city: 

Dear  Mr.  Thomas:  NEW  YoRK'  APrU  18'  1904' 

The  Philharmonic  Society  of  New  York,  following  the 
plan  adopted  by  them  during  the  last  winter,  expect  next 
winter  to  have  a  number  of  conductors  to  preside  over 
the  eight  concerts  of  the  season. 

A  Committee  has  been  appointed  to  make  engagements, 
and  all  the  members  of  it  agreed  with  one  accord  that  we 
should  be  delighted  to  have  you  conduct  one  of  the  con- 
certs with  its  public  rehearsal.  It  was  also  unanimously 
agreed  that,  before  undertaking  to  engage  any  other  con- 
ductor for  any  concert  of  the  season,  the  Committee  should 
make  its  request  to  you,  leaving  it  to  you  to  decide,  if 
you  accept  its  invitation,  which  concert  you  would  prefer 
to  conduct.  ...  It  would  be  very  delightful  if  you  could 
open  the  season  for  us,  but  we  should  be  only  too  glad 
if  you  could  appear  at  the  head  of  the  orchestra  at  any 
concert  of  the  season,  at  your  choice.  You  are  first  in  all 
our  hearts,  and  we  trust  that  you  will  give  us  the  supreme 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  once  more  in  the  place  where  for 
so  many  years  we  loved  to  see  you, — at  the  conductor's 
desk  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  New  York. 
Sincerely  yours, 

E.  FRANCIS  HYDE,  Chairman. 

This  invitation  was  very  highly  valued  by 
Thomas,  and  yet  he  could  not  at  first  bring  himself 
to  accept  it,  because  he  no  longer  had  the  courage 


532          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  face  the  unrelenting  hostility  of  the  press  which 
a  public  appearance  always  brought  out  against 
him  in  New  York.  Had  it  been  a  question  of 
taking  his  own  perfectly  trained  orchestra  and 
giving  concerts  there,  he  would  not  have  minded 
so  much,  but  would  have  "  fought  it  through," 
conscious  that  the  public  would  recognize  the 
standard  of  his  work,  even  if  the  press  did  not. 
But  to  conduct  an  orchestra  which  had  not  come 
under  his  hand  for  so  many  years,  with  only  a 
few  hurried  rehearsals,  was  another  matter,  and 
if  it  showed  any  shortcomings  under  his  leader- 
ship he  knew  full  well  that  his  enemies  would 
instantly  say,  "  Thomas  is  growing  old,"  and  that 
was  the  one  thing  which,  in  his  present  sensitive 
condition,  he  could  not  bear.  He  therefore  de- 
clined the  invitation.  But  the  Philharmonic 
Society  was  not  to  be  put  off.  Its  members  had 
set  their  hearts  on  being  conducted  once  more  by 
their  old  leader,  and  meant  to  make  this  the 
great  gala  occasion  of  his  life.  So,  when  they 
received  his  refusal,  they  simply  put  the  Concert- 
meister,  Mr.  Richard  Arnold,  on  a  west-bound 
train  and  sent  him  to  Chicago,  to  see  what  a  per- 
sonal interview  would  accomplish.  Of  course  after 
this  Thomas  could  no  longer  withhold  his  consent, 
and  commissioned  Mr.  Arnold  to  appoint  March 
24  and  25  as  the  dates  when  he  would  once  more 
stand  in  his  old  place  and  conduct  his  New  York 
colleagues  and  friends. 

Great  rejoicing  hailed  the  return  of  Mr.  Arnold 
with  this  information,  not  only  on  the  part  of  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          533 

Philharmonic  Society,  but  also  on  the  part  of  the 
hundreds  of  friends,  known  and  unknown,  who  had 
made  up  the  Thomas  audiences  in  former  years. 
There  was  a  general  desire  throughout  the  musical 
world  of  the  city  to  make  the  concerts  a  royal 
demonstration  of  honor  and  affection  for  him.  On 
behalf  of  the  Society  Mr.  Hyde  wrote: 

Dear  Mr.  Thomas:  NEW  YORK,  May  31,  1904. 

We  hail  with  great  pleasure  your  consent  to  conduct 
the  last  concert  and  rehearsal  of  the  Philharmonic  So- 
ciety on  March  24«  and  25.  Your  conducting  will  be  a 
great  event  in  the  musical  season  of  next  year.  While  we 
were  arranging  a  list  of  those  whom  we  should  like  to 
have  conduct,  the  public  here  were  suggesting  your  name, 
as  you  see  by  the  inclosed  clipping  from  the  Evening  Post, 
of  March  19.  You  need  not  fear  anything  but  the  most 
enthusiastic  reception,  and  your  appearance  at  our  last 
rehearsal  and  concert  will  make  a  splendid  close  to  the 
season. 

All  of  the  Committee  are  delighted  that  you  have  ac- 
cepted, and  we  are  all  looking  forward  to  your  appear- 
ance as  to  a  great  and  extraordinary  occasion. 

Sincerely  yours, 

E.  FRANCIS  HYDE. 

In  former  years  Thomas  would  have  made  the 
programme  for  this  concert  during  the  summer, 
for  it  was  his  custom  to  prepare  for  all  the  im- 
portant concerts  of  the  coming  season  before  leav- 
ing the  country,  and  he  generally  worked  about 
eight  months  in  advance  of  any  given  event.  But 
this  year  he  planned  for  nothing,  and  gave  even 
this  great  and  unusual  concert  no  thought. 


534          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

On  September  28  we  started  on  our  westward 
journey,  and  as  he  passed  out  through  the  gates  of 
his  beloved  mountain  home  he  knew  that  he  would 
never  return.  He  did  not  put  this  presentiment 
into  words,  but  all  his  actions  during  the  journey 
showed  what  was  in  his  mind.  Instead  of  going 
directly  to  Chicago,  with  only  a  brief  sojourn  with 
his  children  in  New  York  en  route,  as  was  his  wont, 
he  visited  also  all  his  old  friends,  in  Boston,  New 
York,  Farmington,  and  Philadelphia; — even  going 
to  spend  a  day  in  the  old  Fairhaven  homestead  with 
his  faithful  gardener  Peter  McLaughlin;  while,  at 
his  request,  I  went  out  to  the  beautiful  cemetery  of 
Mount  Auburn,  in  Cambridge,  to  select  our  last 
resting-place. 

On  reaching  Chicago  at  last,  Thomas  was  much 
disappointed  to  learn  that  the  new  hall  was  not  yet 
ready  for  use,  and  the  first  few  concerts  would  have 
to  be  given  as  heretofore,  in  the  Auditorium.  He 
had  a  very  impatient  streak  in  his  character,  al- 
though he  generally  held  it  under  stern  control, — 
and  after  working  and  waiting  for  this  building  for 
thirty  years,  the  last  few  days  of  waiting  seemed 
perfectly  intolerable  to  him,  and  his  nerves  were 
so  on  edge  that  the  most  trivial  happening  would 
make  him  almost  hysterical.  At  last,  however, 
the  new  hall  was  ready  for  use,  and  one  day 
after  a  Friday  matinee  at  the  Auditorium,  he 
said  to  me,  "  Now  I  will  take  you  to  see  our 
hall,  if  you  want  to  go  with  me ! "  I  had  not 
seen  its  interior  before,  nor  had  he,  as  we  wanted 
to  wait  till  it  was  finished,  and  we  could  go  to- 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          535 

gether.  We  walked  the  short  distance  which  sepa- 
rated it  from  the  Auditorium,  and  just  as  we  neared 
it  and  were  about  to  turn  in  at  its  main  portal,  two 
nuns,  their  long  black  veils  fluttering  back  almost 
over  us,  stepped  before  us  and  preceded  us  into 
the  building,  and  even  the  length  of  the  aisle  to 
the  very  stage.  To  me,  anxious  and  alarmed  as  I 
already  was  about  his  health,  it  seemed  a  sinister 
omen  that  Thomas  should  make  his  first  entrance 
into  the  hall  in  the  wake  of  these  black-robed  figures. 
He,  however,  was  not  superstitious,  and  his  delight 
over  the  new  building  and  relief  when  he  had  tested 
it  and  found  that  it  had  no  serious  acoustic  defects, 
soon  banished  the  incident  from  my  mind.  He 
had  been  so  anxious  over  the  latter  question  that 
he  would  not  allow  me  to  be  present  at  his  first 
trial  of  its  quality  with  the  full  orchestra.  The 
piece  he  selected  for  this  test,  was  the  "  Tann- 
haeuser  "  Overture, — a  composition  which  is  cal- 
culated to  bring  out  any  defect  in  acoustics  which 
a  building  may  have.  After  it  was  over  he  turned 
to  the  boxes  at  the  other  end  of  the  hall,  in  one  of 
which  were  seated  Mr.  Lathrop,  Mr.  Fay,  and  one 
or  two  others,  and  shouted  triumphantly,  "  Your 
hall  is  a  success,  gentlemen,  a  great  success!" 
After  which  he  sent  the  following  telegram  to  Mr. 
Burnham,  who  was  at  that  time  in  Manila: 

D.  H.  Burnham:  CHICAGO,  Dec.  7,  1904. 

Hall  a   complete  success.      Quality   exceeds   all  expec- 
tations. 

THEODOEE  THOMAS. 


536         MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

In  saying  that  the  hall  was  satisfactory  Thomas 
did  not,  of  course,  mean  that  there  was  nothing  to 
improve  about  it,  for  the  hall  was  never  built 
that  did  not  have  to  be  adjusted  to  the 
music  to  be  given  in  it,  just  as  an  instrument 
has  to  be  tuned.  He  meant  that  it  had  no  struc- 
tural defect  which  could  not  be  remedied  by  the 
proper  adjustment  of  orchestra  and  stage  to  the  new 
conditions.  The  orchestra  and  its  belongings  were 
now  moved  into  their  new  home,  and  Thomas  set 
about  energetically  to  accomplish  this  important 
work.  It  was  no  easy  task,  for  there  could  hardly 
be  two  halls  more  different  in  construction  than  the 
Auditorium  and  the  Orchestra  Hall.  During  the 
thirteen  years  of  his  work  in  the  former,  he  had 
never  ceased  to  experiment  with  sounding-boards, 
platforms,  and  the  arrangement  of  the  musicians. 
The  timpani  traveled  all  round  the  semicircle,  and 
back  again — the  double  basses  collected  in  the  mid- 
dle, divided  on  either  side,  strung  themselves  out  in 
a  row  and  finally  bunched  together  at  the  left — 
the  violins  advanced  out  on  to  extra  platforms 
built  over  the  front  rows  of  seats  in  the  parquet, 
and  retreated  again  behind  the  proscenium  arch; 
while  the  wood-winds,  brasses,  and  harps  were 
equally  restless  in  their  wanderings  over  the  stage. 
As  for  sounding-boards;  sometimes  the  stage  was 
inclosed  tightly,  at  others  a  space  six  feet  wide 
would  be  left  open  at  the  back;  again,  a  broken 
sounding-board,  made  like  great  slats,  with  an  open 
space  between  each  one,  would  be  used.  The  or- 
chestra sat  on  two  sounding-boards  besides  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          537 

regular  flooring  of  the  stage,  and  Thomas  was  in- 
cessantly tinkering  at  the  varying  heights  at  which 
each  man  should  be  elevated  above  the  floor  level. 
In  short,  the  fine  effects  achieved  by  the  orchestra 
in  the  Auditorium  were  due  quite  as  much  to  the 
work  of  Thomas  in  adjusting  the  orchestra  and 
stage,  as  to  the  good  acoustics  of  the  theater 
itself.  The  same  problem  had  now  to  be  worked 
out  in  a  new  and  strange  hall,  with  the  added 
difficulty  that  the  popular  ear  was  tuned  to  the  old 
place,  and  the  popular  affection  anchored  there. 
The  antagonists  of  the  new  hall  were  also  ready  to 
pounce  upon  anything  imperfect  that  could  be 
found  in  it,  and  Thomas  realized  the  importance 
of  getting  his  orchestra  adjusted  to  it  before  their 
criticism  had  done  it  any  appreciable  injury.  Un- 
fortunately circumstances  forced  the  Association 
to  use  the  hall  before  it  was  really  finished.  The 
cement  and  plaster  were  still  damp,  doors  and 
windows  were  only  half  fitted,  the  air  was  charged 
with  dust  from  the  recently  removed  scaffolds,  and, 
to  counteract  the  draught  and  dry  out  the  walls,  a 
fierce  heat  was  turned  on,  making  an  atmosphere 
like  that  of  a  tropical  greenhouse.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  is  not  strange  that  Thomas  caught 
a  severe  cold,  and  by  the  time  the  opening  concert 
took  place  he  was  already  far  from  well. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  new  building  was, 
as  I  have  said,  a  small  hall  for  recital  purposes. 
This  room  connected  with,  or  rather  formed  a 
part  of  the  main  foyer  of  the  large  hall.  Here 
the  orchestra  members  had  planned — so  soon  as 


538          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Thomas  should  be  well  and  everything  in  good 
order — to  give  a  banquet  in  his  honor.  On  this 
occasion  they  wished,  also,  to  present  him  with  a 
testimonial  of  their  affection,  and  passed  a  series 
of  resolutions  which  were  beautifully  engrossed 
by  the  artist  Rascovitch,  and  elaborately  mounted 
and  cased.  They  were  worded  as  follows : 

TESTIMONIAL  TO  THEODORE  THOMAS 

FROM 

THE  MEMBERS  OF  HIS  ORCHESTRA 
CHICAGO,  1905 

Resolved,  That  we  place  on  record  the  gratitude  we  owe 
to  you  as  our  revered  and  respected  leader  in  our  own 
campaign  of  education,  for  your  patience  so  untiringly 
displayed,  for  your  help  so  freely  given,  for  the  vigilant 
watchfulness  with  which  you  have  always  guarded  our 
interests. 

Resolved,  That  we  place  upon  record  our  admiration  of 
the  high  musical  standard  you  have  maintained  and  of 
your  straightforward,  unswerving  course,  and  of  our  love 
for  the  man  who  never  trifled  with  his  gifts,  and  who 
never  sacrificed  the  honor  of  his  art  to  gratify  personal 
ambition  or  further  personal  ends. 

Resolved,  That  now  your  reward  has  come,  and  leader 
and  players  are  in  their  own  home,  given  them  by  lovers 
of  music,  that  we  extend  to  you  our  heartiest  congratula- 
tions. Fifty  years  of  honest  work  have  not  been  wasted. 
You  have  come  to  your  own,  nobly  striven  for,  nobly  won. 
You  are  recognized  and  will  be  remembered  for  your  self- 
sacrificing,  courageous  devotion  to  the  highest  in  our  no- 
ble art.  None  recognized  it  sooner,  none  will  remember 
it  longer  than  those  who  have  worked  with  you. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           539 

Resolved,  That  as  a  token  of  our  admiration  for  you 
as  a  musician,  of  our  loyalty  to  you  as  our  leader,  and 
our  affection  for  you  as  a  man,  we  ask  you  to  accept  this 
tribute  with  the  wish  that  we  may  have  many  happy  and 
useful  years  together  in  the  new  home,  which  stands  as  a 
testimonial  of  the  popular  love  and  respect  for  an  hon- 
ored leader  under  whose  baton  we  have  served  so  long 
and  so  pleasantly. 

(Signed  by  all  the  members  of  the  Orchestra.) 

Could  Thomas  have  lived  to  receive  this  testi- 
monial from  his  "  boys  "  it  would  have  given  him 
one  of  the  happiest  experiences  of  his  life,  and 
would,  taken  in  connection  with  the  Philharmonic 
testimonial  in  March,  have  brought  home  to  him, 
as  nothing  else  could  have  done,  the  comforting 
assurance  that  his  work  had  been  understood  and 
appreciated  at  its  true  value  by  his  professional 
colleagues,  in  East  and  West.  But,  alas,  this  was 
not  to  be,  and  he  never  read  these  loving  words 
of  his  orchestra. 

Wednesday  evening,  December  14,  1904,  was 
the  fateful  night  which  saw  the  fruition  of  that 
for  which  Thomas  had  worked  for  nearly  half  a 
century — the  establishment  of  his  orchestra,  per- 
manently endowed,  in  a  building  of  its  own,  where 
he  hoped  it  would  be  the  foundation  upon  which 
would  rise  an  art  institution  of  the  noblest  and 
broadest  character,  which  should  not  only  maintain 
the  highest  standard  in  executive  art,  but  should,  in 
time,  develop  a  musical  university  and  set  an 
equally  high  standard  in  educational  work.  Such 
was  the  institution  which  Thomas  saw  with  his 


540          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

mind's  eye  as  he  stepped  upon  the  stage  of  the 
new  hall  and  raised  his  baton  for  the  first  number 
of  its  inaugural  concert. 

The  programme  was  a  strange  one  for  a  gala 
occasion,  and  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events  it 
might  be  called  his  "  Morituri  Salutamus."  Four 
of  its  five  numbers  were  deeply  psychological  in 
character,  and  the  sequence  in  which  they  were 
performed  was  very  dramatic.  First  came  Wag- 
ner's stirring  salutation  to  the  building,  "  Hail, 
bright  abode,"  sung  by  the  Apollo  Club.  This 
was  followed  by  the  Overture  to  "  Tannhaeuser," 
a  composition  which  represents  the  struggle  of  a 
passionate  and  sensuous  soul  against  material  sin, 
and  its  final  purification.  Then  came  the  terrible 
tone  poem  of  Richard  Strauss,  "  Death  and 
Apotheosis,"  which  portrays  with  frightful  realism 
the  physical  agony  of  dissolution,  and  the  passing 
of  the  soul  through  bodily  suffering  into  the 
eternal  repose  of  the  hereafter.  This,  in  turn, 
was  followed  by  Beethoven's  Fifth  Symphony — 
a  composition  which,  more  than  any  other,  was 
associated  with  Theodore  Thomas,  and  of  which 
he  said :  "  The  first  movement  represents  a  con- 
flict, and  the  will-power  of  a  great  soul.  The  sec- 
ond represents  the  emotional  side  of  the  same  soul, 
and  is  a  temporary  rest.  The  third  renews  the 
conflict  again  and  leads  to  a  final  triumph  of  un- 
usual strength  and  happiness  in  the  fourth."  The 
last  number  of  the  programme,  Haendel's  inspir- 
ing, "  Hallelujah  Chorus,"  was  a  thrilling  climax 
to  this  extraordinary  sequence  of  master-works. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          541 

Coming,  as  it  did,  at  the  close  of  an  evening 
which  had  been  devoted  to  the  serious  contempla- 
tion of  the  soul,  its  struggles  here,  and  its  triumphs 
hereafter,  the  famous  chorus  seemed  to  have  even 
more  than  its  customary  significance,  and  its  great 
and  solemn  strains  carried  the  mind  irresistibly  up 
to  the  heavenly  vision  which  was  its  inspiration: 

"  And  I  heard  as  it  were  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude, 
and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of 
mighty  thunderings,  saying: 

"  *  Hallelujah !     For  the  Lord  omnipotent  reigneth ! ' ; 

After  such  a  programme  as  this,  performed  on 
the  night  which  had  placed  the  laurel  crown  of 
success  upon  his  artistic  career,  it  was  fitting  that 
Thomas  should  have  found  an  unusual  company 
of  friends  waiting  at  his  house  to  offer  him  their 
congratulations.  They  were  the  friends  of  many 
years'  standing,  who  had  spontaneously  gathered 
from,  not  only  Chicago,  but  Boston,  New  York, 
Cincinnati,  Washington,  and  other  cities,  to  wit- 
ness the  happy  consummation  of  his  life-work. 
There  were  so  many  that  our  dining-room  would 
not  accommodate  them  all,  and  we  had  supper 
served  in  the  parlor,  where,  seated  around  a  big, 
jolly  table,  this  reunion  of  so  many  life-long 
friends  from  his  old  fields  of  labor,  was  as  delight- 
ful to  Thomas  as  it  was  unexpected. 

The  evening  was  not  one,  however,  which  was 
calculated  to  recuperate  his  waning  strength,  and 
within  a  day  or  two  the  cold  from  which  he  was 


542          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

suffering,  became  the  "  grippe."  He  was  now 
really  ill,  but  could  he  have  rested  quietly  at  home 
and  taken  care  of  himself  for  a  few  days,  he  might 
still  have  recovered.  In  his  anxiety  to  adjust 
the  orchestra  to  the  new  hall,  without  delay,  he 
would  not  do  this,  but  arose  from  his  sick  bed 
every  day  to  go  and  conduct  rehearsals  and  con- 
certs, and  returned  to  it  again  as  soon  as  he 
got  home.  In  spite  of  this  suicidal  course,  when 
Christmas  Eve  came  he  seemed  to  be  somewhat 
better.  We  had  planned  to  have  a  little  Christ- 
mas supper  by  ourselves  in  his  study,  after  the 
concert — there  was  always  a  concert  to  be  con- 
ducted before  Thomas  could  think  of  pleasure — the 
servants  were  sent  to  bed,  and  we  roasted  oysters 
in  the  shell  over  the  coals  of  the  open  fire.  "  How 
good  these  taste ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  It  is  the  first 
time  anything  has  tasted  good  to  me  since  we 
got  into  the  new  hall.  Come,  we  must  drink 
'  Briiderschaft '  together,  German-fashion,  to  cele- 
brate the  day,  and  the  well-cooked  oysters,  and  my 
recovered  appetite,  for  I  believe  I  begin  to  feel 
better  at  last."  So  we  went  through  with  the 
quaint  little  ceremony,  and  opened  the  Christmas 
boxes  from  his  absent  sons  and  daughters,  and  for 
an  hour  he  was  his  old,  genial  self,  and  as  gay  and 
happy  as  a  boy.  All  at  once  he  seemed  to  wilt. 
His  laughter  died,  and  his  buoyant  spirits  fell. 
;<  I  am  so  tired,  so  tired,"  he  said  wearily,  "  I  must 
go  to  bed." 

All  the  next  day  he  was  very  ill.     Monday  he 
once   more   tried   to   drag   himself   down   to   the 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS           543 

rehearsal,  but  could  get  no  further  than  the  front 
door,  and  had  to  go  back  to  bed  again.  The  rest 
is  soon  told.  By  Thursday  pneumonia  had  set  in, 
and  after  a  few  days  of  torturing  illness,  borne 
without  a  murmur,  it  became  apparent  that  the 
end  was  near.  A  few  hours  before  his  death  the 
lamp  of  life  flickered  up  for  a  moment,  and  as  I 
sat  beside  him  he  murmured:  "  I  have  had  a  beau- 
tiful vision — a  beautiful  vision "  and  seemed 

to  want  to  tell  me  what  it  was,  but  was  too  weak 
to  frame  the  words.  It  was  given  to  me,  in  this 
supreme  moment,  to  divine  his  thoughts,  and  I 
said:  "  I  know  what  you  have  seen.  It  was  our 
lovely  Felsengarten  at  the  sunset  hour,  with  its 
flowers,  rocks,  and  trees;  its  great,  silent  moun- 
tains showing  blue  and  purple  against  the  golden 
sky,  and  the  quiet  cattle  grazing  in  the  valley 
below."  He  smiled  a  dreamy  assent,  and  with  this 
happy  thought  of  home  in  mind  drifted  off  into 
unconsciousness,  and  never  wakened  more.  A 
few  hours  later,  in  the  early  morning  of  January 
4,  1905,  he  died,  quietly  and  painlessly,  surrounded 
by  those  he  loved  best,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his 
age. 

The  death  of  Theodore  Thomas  was  regarded  as 
a  national  calamity,  and  memorial  services  and  mu- 
sical performances  were  held  in  his  honor  in  nearly 
every  city  in  the  land.  His  funeral  was  very  sim- 
ple, and  the  only  music  was  the  rendering  of  a 
few  stately  German  chorals  by  a  choir  of  twenty 
trombones,  as  the  funeral  cortege  entered  and  left 
the  church  where  the  services  were  held.  Later  in 


544          MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  day  the  orchestra  held  a  musical  memorial 
service  for  the  regular  attendants  of  the  Symphony 
concerts,  which  was  repeated  on  the  following  Sun- 
day for  the  general  public.  The  last  named  per- 
formance was  given  in  the  Auditorium  on  account 
of  its  large  seating  capacity,  but  so  great  was  the 
concourse  of  people  who  desired  to  attend  that 
not  only  was  it  taxed  to  its  utmost  limit,  but  many 
thousands,  unable  to  get  in,  stood  silently  in  the 
wintry  blasts  of  the  streets  without,  while  it  was 
in  progress.  The  interment  took  place  a  few 
weeks  later  in  the  presence  of  only  the  family 
and  a  few  intimate  friends,  in  accordance  with  the 
oft-expressed  wish  of  Thomas.  There  was  no 
music  at  this  brief  ceremony,  but  as  the  casket, 
which  contained  his  mortal  part,  sank  slowly  into 
its  last  resting-place,  twelve  solemn  strokes  were 
tolled  upon  the  silent  air  by  the  bell  of  a  distant 
church. 

After  this  manner  was  the  passing  of  Theo- 
dore Thomas.  Hundreds,  nay  thousands,  of  let- 
ters and  testimonials  came  to  us  from  all  parts 
of  the  world,  after  his  death,  expressing  the  uni- 
versal love  and  honor  in  which  he  was  held. 
Amongst  them  was  one  from  his  devoted  friend, 
Paderewski.  Let  me  close,  in  his  words,  this 
simple  record  of  a  beneficent  life: 

'  The  entire  musical  world  joins  in  deepest  sor- 
row over  this  terrible  bereavement.  The  passing 
away  of  the  illustrious  Theodore  Thomas  is  an 
irreparable  loss  to  our  art,  for  scarcely  any  man 


The  Theodore  Thomas  Cross  at  Mt.  Auburn  Cemetery, 
Cambridge,  Mass. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS          545 

in  any  land  has  done  so  much  for  the  musical  edu- 
cation of  the  people,  as  did  he  in  this  great  coun- 
try. The  purity  of  his  character,  the  firmness  of 
his  principles,  the  nobility  of  his  ideals,  together 
with  the  magnitude  of  his  achievements,  will 
assure  him  everlasting  glory  in  the  annals  of 
artistic  culture." 


APPENDIX 

WHEN  a  man  passes  away  who  has  devoted  his  life  to 
any  national  cause,  it  is  customary  for  his  contemporaries 
to  sum  up  the  results  of  his  labors,  and  give  public  expres- 
sion to  their  verdict  before  writing  the  final  "  Requiescat 
in  Pace  "  upon  his  tomb.  It  had  been  the  life  object  of 
Theodore  Thomas  to  create  the  highest  standard  of  art  in 
music  throughout  America,  to  educate  the  nation  to  un- 
derstand and  love  that  standard,  and  to  found  a  permanent 
musical  institution  which  should  serve  in  a  special  sense  to 
guard  and  conserve  it  to  future  generations.  After  his 
death  his  work,  like  that  of  others,  was  weighed  in  the 
balance  of  public  opinion,  and  the  popular  estimate  of 
its  value  was  printed  far  and  wide  in  the  editorial  columns 
of  the  world.  Could  he  but  have  known,  while  still  living, 
how  truly  his  aims  were  appreciated,  his  character  under- 
stood, and  the  object  for  which  he  had  worked  achieved, 
it  would  have  glorified  and  inspired  his  declining  years. 
But  very  little  of  all  this  came  to  his  knowledge,  for, 
while  he  was  the  recipient  of  many  honors  during  his  life, 
they  came  chiefly  from  special  sources,  and  of  the  popular 
reverence  and  love  he  realized  comparatively  little.  After 
his  death  there  was  a  very  general  outpouring  of  affection, 
grief,  and  honor  for  the  departed  musician,  and  from  the 
mass  of  resolutions,  memorials,  essays,  sermons,  editorials, 
etc.,  which  were  printed  then,  the  following  have  been 
selected  as  representative  of  the  estimation  in  which  the 
man  and  his  work  were  held  by  those  who  were  co-laborers 
in  his  larger  schemes;  by  the  press,  the  pulpit,  and  the 
musical  profession. 

547 


548  APPENDIX 

Memorial  of 
The  Chicago  Orchestral  Association 

"  We,  the  Trustees  of  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Associa- 
tion, wish  it  were  possible  to  place  upon  its  records  a  fitting 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  our  friend  and  leader,  Theodore 
Thomas.  We  feel  how  inadequate  any  formal  expression 
of  regard  and  regret  must  be.  The  world  knows  what 
Theodore  Thomas  has  done  to  inspire  the  American  people 
with  love  of  the  highest  form  of  the  most  spiritual  of  all 
the  arts.  Only  those  who  came  nearest  to  him  knew  the 
difficulties  of  his  task  and  the  wisdom  and  patient  courage 
with  which  he  overcame  them. 

"  We  deplore  his  death  as  our  own  personal  bereave- 
ment, and  an  unspeakable  loss  to  the  higher  life  of  our 
country;  but  we  rejoice  that  such  a  man  has  lived  and 
labored,  and  so  far  as  in  us  lies  we  resolve  that  his  labors 
shall  not  have  been  in  vain. 

"  THE  CHICAGO  OBCHESTEAL  ASSOCIATION." 

[As  a  public  memorial  in  his  honor  the  Association  de- 
creed that  the  name  of  the  "  Chicago  Orchestra  "  should 
henceforth  be  changed  to  the  "  Theodore  Thomas  Orches- 
tra," and  that  of  "  Orchestra  Hall "  to  the  "  Theodore 
Thomas  Orchestra  Hall "  and  that  the  said  name  should 
be  carved  on  the  two  stone  panels  of  its  facade. — R.  F.  T.] 

From  the  University  of  Chicago  "  Record  ": 

"  As  an  indication  of  the  sense  of  almost  irreparable  loss 
felt  by  the  University  of  Chicago  over  the  death  of  Theo- 
dore Thomas,  the  Record  publishes  the  following  tribute 
from  President  W.  R.  Harper: 

"  '  The  sense  of  sorrow  caused  by  the  death  of  Theodore 
Thomas  is  universal  throughout  the  city  of  Chicago.  His 


APPENDIX  549 

work  has  been  done  for  all  classes  and  conditions  of  peo- 
ple. There  is  no  element  of  our  population  but  what  has 
been  delighted  again  and  again  by  his  music,  and  his  fame 
has  truly  been  a  pride  to  the  whole  city.  Members  of  the 
University,  therefore,  in  common  with  the  whole  city,  pay 
their  tribute  to  him  as  a  matchless  musician  and  a  noble 
benefactor  of  Chicago.  At  the  same  time,  as  an  institu- 
tion which  aims  at  higher  learning,  the  University  has 
peculiar  reason  to  feel  thankful  for  his  influence  in  ele- 
vating musical  taste  and  his  steadfast  adherence  to  the 
highest  ideals  of  art.  We  shall  always  remember  with 
special  gratitude  his  kindness  during  the  last  year  in 
bringing  his  orchestra  to  Mandel  Hall  and  thus  putting 
the  best  music  at  our  very  door.  Words  can  express  only 
a  small  part  of  what  we  feel;  but  no  one  who  knew  Mr. 
Thomas,  or  knew  the  devoted  following  that  he  had  at  the 
University,  can  doubt  that  his  memory  will  be  lopg  cher- 
ished among  us.  The  loss  to  all  is  very  great,  one  which 
we  cannot  now  fully  appreciate. 

"  '  WILLIAM  R.  HARPER,  President.'  " 

Memorial  of 
The  Cvncwmati  Musical  Festival  Association 

"  The  directors  have  met  to-day  for  the  purpose  of 
recording  on  the  minutes  of  the  association  their  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  services  of  the  great  leader,  Theodore 
Thomas,  to  the  cause  of  music  in  Cincinnati,  and  of  ex- 
pressing their  sense  of  personal  bereavement  ui  his  death. 

"  Mr.  Thomas  has  been  the  conductor  of  these  festivals 
from  the  beginning.  He  conducted  the  first  concert  of  the 
first  festival  on  Tuesday,  May  6,  1873,  and  every  concert 
of  every  festival  thereafter  until  he  laid  down  his  baton 
after  the  memorable  performance  of  Beethoven's  Ninth 
Symphony,  with  which  he  brought  the  sixteenth  festival  to 


550  APPENDIX 

a  glorious  close  on  Saturday,  May  14th,  1904.  What 
he  accomplished  for  the  education  of  the  public  and  for 
the  cause  of  music  in  this  city  during  those  years  of 
service  is  not  recorded  in  any  written  annals,  and  cannot 
be:  it  is  part  of  the  history  of  Cincinnati  and  of  the  lives 
of  her  citizens,  which  he  enriched  and  made  better,  purer, 
and  happier  by  inspiring  them  with  an  appreciation  of 
the  highest  and  best  forms  of  music,  and  by  revealing  to 
them  the  ineffable  beauties  of  the  art  to  which  he  devoted 
his  life  with  noble  and  unselfish  purpose.  His  upright 
character,  his  high  ideals,  his  sound  judgment  matured 
by  years  of  study  and  labor,  his  indefatigable  energy, 
his  courage  and  patience  in  times  of  trial,  his  catholic 
spirit,  his  faith  in  the  people  and  his  confidence  in  the 
ultimate  triumph  of  his  appeals  to  their  intelligence  and 
of  his  efforts  to  raise  the  standard  of  art  in  their  midst, 
are  the  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  which  have  endeared 
him  to  his  associates,  and  have  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
enduring  fame  as  a  benefactor  of  mankind. 

"  He  came  to  us  when  he  was  a  young1  man ;  he  gave  us 
a  large  part  of  his  life;  he  has  gone  full  of  years  and 
honors.  He  fought  a  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith.  We 
deplore  the  loss  of  our  leader  and  mourn  the  death  of  our 
friend.  In  the  shadow  of  his  death  we  pledge  ourselves  to 
continue  the  work  which  he  began,  and  to  maintain  the 
Cincinnati  festivals  on  the  plane  of  excellence  where  he 
placed  them,  and  in  the  spirit  of  conscientious  endeavor 
and  high  artistic  purpose  with  which  he  endowed  them. 

"  THE  CINCINNATI  MUSICAL  FESTIVAL  ASSOCIATION." 

[As  further  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Thomas,  the  As- 
sociation has  placed  a  statue  of  him  in  the  great  foyer 
of  the  Cincinnati  Music  Hall,  at  the  unveiling  of  which, 
during  the  first  concert  of  the  festival  of  1910,  the  Presi- 


Statue   of   Theodore   Thomas,   Unveiled   in   the   Cincinnati 

Music  Hall,  May  8,  1905,  at  the  First  Concert 

of  the  Nineteenth  Festival 


APPENDIX  551 

dent  of  the  United  States  made  the  dedicatory  address. — 
R.  F.  T.] 

The  Memorial  of  Boston 

(From  the  Boston  "  Transcript  ") 

"  King's  Chapel  has  very  naturally,  through  all  its  asso- 
ciations with  old  Boston,  come  down  to  us  as  the  place  of 
all  civic  and  public  ceremonies — the  little  Westminster 
Abbey  of  Boston — most  appropriately,  therefore,  it  was 
chosen  for  the  memorial  service  on  Sunday  afternoon  in 
honor  of  the  great  American  musician  and  educator  of 
the  American  people  in  music,  Theodore  Thomas.  The 
writer  can  imagine  nothing  more  moving  to  reflection  on 
the  noble  figure  that  has  gone  in  his  prime — the  embodi- 
ment of  dauntless  power  in  character,  and  matchless  refine- 
ment in  art,  a  rare  and  splendid  illustration  of  perfect 
union  between  music  and  morals — than  the  hush  of  this 
occasion  in  King's  Chapel,  broken  only  by  the  perfect 
music  one  hears  there  always,  and  the  fitly  spoken  word. 
First  the  burial  service  was  read  by  the  minister  of  King's 
Chapel,  followed  by  an  address  by  the  vice  president  of 
the  Harvard  Musical  Association.  A  choir  of  forty  pro- 
fessional singers,  conducted  by  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang,  sang 
'  Ein'  Feste  Burg,'  and  the  *  Burial  Chorus  '  from  the  '  St. 
Matthew  Passion  Music '  of  Bach." 

The  New  York  Memorial 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  Jan.  8,  1905 

Programme 
Nahan  Franko,  Conductor 

Symphonic  Poem,  "  Les  Preludes  " Liszt 

Metropolitan  Opera  Orchestra 

Aria,  "  Pro  Peccatis  "  from  "  Stabat  Mater  " .  . . .  Rossini 
Mr.  Marcel  Journet 


552  APPENDIX 

"  Pardon  Me,"  from  "  Passion  Music  " Bach 

Mme.  Louise  Homer 

Aria  from  "  Iphigenie  ". Gluck 

Mr.  Andreas  Dippel 

Aria  di  Chiesa Stradella 

Mme.  Marcella  Sembrich 

Funeral  March,  Orchestrated  by  Theodore  Thomas, 

Metropolitan  Opera  Orchestra  Chopin 

Aria,  "  II  Re  Pastore  " ,.  .Mozart 

Mme.  Marcella  Sembrich 

Largo. -..-... Haendel 

Mr.  Max  Bendix 

"  Les  Rameaux  " , , Faure 

Mr.  Marcel  Journet 
Aria,  "  And  He  shall  feed  His  flock,"  «  Messiah," 

Mme.  Louise  Homer  Haendel 

Funeral  March,  "  Goetterdaemmerung  " Wagner 

From  the  Aschenbroedel  Verein: 

New  York 
"  MES.  THEODOEE  THOMAS, 

"  WERTHE  FRAU  THOMAS, 

"  Der  Aschenbroedel  Verein  *  von  New  York  spricht 
Ihnen,  geehrte  Frau,  hierdurch  die  tiefempfundenste, 
aufrichtigste  Theilnahme  an  Ihrem  Gerechten  Schmerz 
aus  welchen  das  Ableben  Ihres  Gatten,  unseres  hoch- 
geschaetzen  Ehrenmitgliedes  Ihnen  verursacht  hat. 

*'  Wir  sind  ausser  Stande  Trost  zu  spenden ;  nehmen 
Sie  aber  die  Versicherung  dass  in  aller  unser  Herzen  eine 
aufrichtige  und  dauernte  Verehrung  fuer  Ihren  geliebten 

*The  Aschenbroedel  Verein  includes  in  its  membership  all  the  or- 
chestral players  of  the  first  rank  in  New  York  and  vicinity. 


APPENDIX  553 

Gatten,  den  Ersten  und  Boston  Gruender  guter — und  nur 
guter — Musikauffuehrungen  in  America  wohnt;  und  dass 
wir  ihm  ein  bleibendes,  seiner  wuerdiges  Andenken  be- 
wahren  werden  bis  auch  wir  zu  den  Entschlafenen  zaehlen. 
"  Moegen  diese  wenige  Worte  der  Anerkennung, 
Wuerdigung  und  Verehrung  aus  den  Herzen  von  Berufs- 
genossen  kommend,  ihren  Zweck  nicht  verfehlen  und  Ihnen 
einige  Linderung  Ihres  von  uns  vollauf  gewuerdigten 
Schmerzes  geben. 

"  Der  mit  Ihnen  trauernde 

"  ASCHENBEOEDEL  VEREIN." 

Memorial  of  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society 

"  The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Philharmonic  Society 
of  Brooklyn  desire  to  place  upon  the  minutes  of  the  Society 
their  sense  of  personal  loss  in  the  death  of  Theodore 
Thomas,  who  became  their  conductor  in  1873,  and  termi- 
nated his  engagement  in  1891. 

"  To  us  of  this  Board  he  was  more  than  the  peerless 
conductor  and  tireless  educator,  who  by  being  true  to  his 
lofty  ideals  brought  the  musical  taste  of  this  community 
up  to  an  appreciation  of  the  best  and  highest  in  musical 
art.  To  us  he  was  our  cherished  friend,  who  mingled  with 
his  duties  as  musical  director  a  rare  personality,  that  at- 
tracted us  to  him  by  its  charming  nature  and  by  its  in- 
variable evidences  of  friendship.  .  .  .  Our  minds  revert 
with  delight  to  his  many  brilliant  successes  in  the  superb 
work  which  his  orchestra  rendered  in  our  concerts,  under 
his  inspiring  leadership,  and  also  to  the  notable  perform- 
ances of  great  choral  works,  which  will  be  long  remem- 
bered. We  can  see,  even  now,  the  grace  and  dignity  with 
which  he  wielded  the  baton,  and  the  magic  effect  upon 
every  member  of  his  orchestra,  and  our  thoughts  dwell 


554  APPENDIX 

lingeringly  upon  the  recollection  of  those  occasions  when 
we  met  him  socially,  and  when  his  warm-hearted  and  genial 
nature  brought  joy  to  us  all.  Our  minds  are  full  of 
memories  of  our  dear  friend  and  conductor,  for  his  strong 
nature  impressed  us  with  admiration,  and  we  found  that 
to  know  him  better  was  but  to  love  him  the  more. 

"  A  life  so  full  of  noble  work,  so  true  to  the  highest  and 
best,  so  persistent  in  its  efforts,  and  fashioned  in  such 
a  heroic  mold,  is  rarely  met  with  in  this  world,  and  the 
memory  of  Theodore  will  be  lovingly  cherished  in  all  our 
hearts.  The  members  of  this  Board,  appreciating  his 
great  life  work,  and  the  fact  that  it  was  their  privilege 
to  be  associated  with  him  for  twenty  years,  hereby  express 
their  keen  sorrow  at  his  death,  their  sincere  sympathy  with 
his  bereaved  family,  and  offer  this  tribute  to  their  beloved 
conductor  and  their  personal  friend. 

"  JOHN  S.  FROTHINGHAM,  Secretary. 
HENRY  N.  WHITNEY,  President" 

Resolutions  of  the 
Contemporary  Club  of  Saint  Louis 

"  The  Contemporary  Club,  of  St.  Louis,  representing 
the  widest  range  of  interests  in  art  and  education,  at  a 
meeting  held  on  January  5,  1905,  when  the  subject  for 
consideration  was  '  Toward  American  Music,'  and  on  a 
day  when  the  American  people  had  been  saddened  by  the 
death  of  one  who  had  been  such  a  pervading  influence  in 
all  that  pertains  to  true  art,  passed  a  resolution  that  a 
committee  be  appointed  to  give  expression  to  the  feelings 
of  its  members  because  of  the  loss  of  Theodore  Thomas. 

"  In  accordance  with  this  resolution  we  desire  to  extend 
our  sympathy  to  the  family  of  Theodore  Thomas  and  to 
the  people  of  Chicago. 

"  We  believe  we  are  speaking  not  only  for  this  Club 


APPENDIX  555 

but  for  the  whole  City  of  St.  Louis  in  expressing  our 
appreciation  of  what  this  man  has  done  by  his  heroic 
career  in  the  art  to  which  his  life  was  consecrated. 

"  The  loss  is  not  only  to  his  family  and  to  the  cities 
where  he  has  resided,  but  to  the  whole  United  States  of 
America.  The  misfortune  falls  not  simply  upon  the  art 
which  he  represented  but  upon  all  the  high  arts  without 
distinction. 

"  We  feel  that  he  has  been  a  world  educator  and  in 
the  realm  of  eternal  ideas  and  ideals  has  led  the  minds  and 
souls  of  generations. 

"  We  honor  those  who  have  upheld  him  in  his  great 
work  and  we  wish  to  express  to  them,  as  well  as  to  his 
family,  our  sorrow  that  he  could  not  have  been  spared 
much  longer  in  order  to  add  still  greater  glory  to  the  art 
of  music  and  to  be  still  for  us  a  higher  inspiration. 

"  Yet  we  feel  that  nothing  could  have  added  to  his 
fame  and  we  are  grateful  to  his  memory  for  his  exalted 
work. 

"  By  devout  and  masterly  genius  he  ennobled  the  world 
in  which  he  lived  and  his  influence,  incalculable  in  extent, 
will  be  imperishable. 

"  WALTER  L.  SHELDON, 
JOHN  W.  DAY, 
WILLIAM  M.  CHAUVENET, 

Committee." 

From  ihe  New  York  "  Times  ": 

"  It  is  hard  to  estimate  the  debt  that  this  country  owes 
to  Theodore  Thomas.  It  is  the  debt  of  a  pupil  to  a 
teacher;  or  it  is  the  debt  of  a  people  led  out  of  a  wilder- 
ness to  the  prophet  who  has  shown  them  a  sight  of  the 
promised  land.  To  him  more  than  to  any  other  single 
force  is  due  the  present  state  of  musical  culture  in  this 
country.  To  an  amazing  persistency  in  the  face  of 


556  APPENDIX 

piled-up  difficulties  he  joined  the  fine  and  catholic  taste 
and,  most  of  all,  the  willingness  to  make  his  propaganda 
gradually,  that  were  precisely  the  qualities  that  were  neces- 
sary to  make  his  success.  He  knew  that  there  were  many 
kinds  of  good  music;  and  that  the  love  and  appreciation 
of  the  greatest  kinds  were  best  attained  by  a  gradual 
uplift  through  the  lesser.  .  .  .  The  immediate  loss  is 
Chicago's,  but  the  whole  country,  and  New  York  in  par- 
ticular, will  not  let  the  western  city  mourn  alone." 

From  the  "  Nation  ": 

"  The  most  remarkable  characteristics  of  Theodore 
Thomas  as  a  musician  were  his  catholicity  of  taste  and 
versatility.  No  one  interpreted  the  oldest  masters — 
Bach,  Haendel,  Gluck,  Haydn,  Mozart — more  impres- 
sively than  he,  or  with  keener  insight  into  the  antique 
spirit  of  music.  Beethoven  and  Schubert  he  worshiped, 
and  made  propaganda  for  them  every  week  of  his  life. 
He  did  missionary  work  for  Wagner,  Liszt,  and  Berlioz 
at  a  time  when  it  meant  money  out  of  his  pocket  and  the 
incurring  of  critical  censure.  And  he  kept  his  interest 
in  the  new  music  until  the  last  moment,  his  latest  proteges 
having  been  Richard  Strauss  and  Elgar.  .  .  .  Attention 
may  also  be  called  to  the  fact  that  he  did  more  for  Amer- 
ican composers  than  any  other  conductor  has  done. 

"  Thomas  was  a  born  commander.  His  stubborn  deter- 
mination to  carry  out  his  plans  and  wishes  frequently  got 
him  into  trouble,  and  he  made  many  enemies:  but  they 
were  for  the  most  part  enemies  to  be  proud  of.  He  was 
not  without  jealousy,  and  when  Anton  Seidl  came  to  New 
York  he  looked  on  him,  unfortunately,  as  a  rival  rather 
than  a  helper.  But  when  he  became  more  familiar  with 
SeidPs  admirable  work  (when  he  conducted  the  Thomas 
Orchestra  in  Grau's  operatic  performances  in  Chicago), 


APPENDIX  557 

he    cordially    offered    his    colleague    his    mendship    and 
praise." 

From  the  Boston  "  Transcript  ": 

"  In  these  days  of  endowed  symphony  orchestras  in 
America  it  is  difficult  for  younger  generations  to  under- 
stand the  honor  in  which  the  name  of  Theodore  Thomas 
has  been  held  by  his  contemporaries.  Nowadays  it  is 
merely  a  matter  of  setting  aside  a  million  and  issuing  a 
fiat  and  an  orchestra  exists.  In  Thomas'  day  the  taste 
and  desire  for  good  music  had  to  be  built  up  in  the  first 
place.  It  was  his  destined  life  work  to  create  the  broader 
popular  base  for  musical  culture  on  which  alone  it  can 
have  any  vital  relation  to  or  influence  on  the  national 
character  and  refinement.  .  .  .  All  of  Thomas'  efforts 
to  make  a  financial  surety  of  fine  music  in  America  were, 
one  after  another,  year  by  year  doomed  to  disappointment. 
It  is  this  pathetic  and  heroic  struggle,  during  all  of 
which  it  never  occurred  to  him  to  give  up,  that  accounts 
for  his  being  held  by  those  who  witnessed  it  all,  one  of 
our  American  heroes,  a  man  to  be  ever  remembered  and 
looked  up  to  as  a  public  character  and  benefactor.  Of 
course  there  were  in  him  the  usual  defects  of  his  qualities. 
A  born  leader,  fit  for  such  a  struggle,  must  be  made  of 
the  sternest  stuff,  and  Theodore  Thomas,  though  per- 
sonally modest  to  shyness,  was  a  dictator  in  matters  of 
music,  and  a  hard  taskmaster  to  his  players.  .  .  .  He 
has  died  in  harness,  as  he  would  have  chosen,  and  with 
his  place  in  art  and  share  in  the  evolution  of  American 
culture  honorably  recognized,  and  the  great  work  of  his 
planting  in  full  bearing." 

From  the  Chicago  "  Tribune  ": 

"  One  of  the  few  really  great  orchestral  conductors  of 
the  world,  and  the  foremost  leader  of  musical  progress 
in  America,  has  passed  away  after  fifty  years  of  honorable, 


558  APPENDIX 

dignified,  consistent,  and  uncommercial  service.  Theodore 
Thomas  was  a  musician  with  great  gifts,  which  he  never 
degraded,  and  with  which  he  never  trifled.  Music  was  never 
an  amusement  to  him,  but  the  highest  expression  of  aesthetic 
possibility,  and  his  work  for  it  was  always  of  an  educa- 
tional character.  .  .  .  His  life  work  was  singularly  com- 
plete. It  reached  half  a  century,  and  in  that  period  was 
comprised  a  successful  growth,  with  a  future  promise  such 
as  few  musical  leaders  have  ever  achieved.  He  lived  to  see 
the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose,  and  to  receive  his 
reward  in  such  a  popular  gift  as  no  other  musician  but 
Wagner  has  ever  received,  and  no  other  American  city 
has  attempted  to  make.  Grand  in  his  ideals,  unswerv- 
ingly honest  and  honorable  in  his  career,  splendid  in 
musical  gift,  and  noble  in  manliness  of  character,  with 
a  great  loving  heart  behind  his  austere  seeming,  he  has 
gone,  and  thousands  will  mourn  for  him." 

Resolutions  of  the  Chicago  Press  League 

"  With  feelings  of  profound  sorrow  we,  the  members  of 
the  Chicago  Press  League,  wish  to  express  our  apprecia- 
tion of  and  high  respect  for  the  life  of  the  great  musician 
just  deceased. 

"  Theodore  Thomas  was  the  high  priest  in  the  temple 
of  music  which  he  builded  for  Chicago  and  the  American 
people.  On  its  holy  altar  he  consecrated  the  powers  of 
his  strong  and  noble  manhood.  At  this  sacred  shrine  the 
hearts  of  the  people  were  uplifted  into  the  realms  of  the 
most  beautiful  on  earth,  and  in  this  temple,  be  the  creed 
or  nationality  of  its  votaries  what  they  might,  all  were 
made  to  feel  their  kinship  with  the  divinity. 

"  That  harmony  which  is  the  culmination  of  life's  Jiigh- 
est  ideal  was  here  realized,  and  his  preaching  of  sounds 
sunk  deeper  into  hearts  than  that  of  words. 


APPENDIX  559 

"  With  the  sacred  hope  that  his  family  will  feel  consoled 
in  the  thought  that  his  great  uplifting  work  will  live  for- 
ever, we  bid  farewell  to  the  great  soul  who  has  entered 
where  peace  and  rest  abide  forevermore." 

From  the  "  American,"  New  York  and  Chicago: 

"  Theodore  Thomas  died  just  as  he  had  realized  the 
dream  and  goal  of  his  long  and  splendid  life.  .  .  . 

"  There  is  something  pathetic  and  moving  beyond  words 
in  the  blind  fate  that  takes  from  the  laboring  hands  the 
fruit  of  so  many  years  of  thought  and  sacrifice  and  con- 
scientious effort.  The  house  is  built  and  the  builder  may 
not  dwell  in  it.  The  noble  end  is  attained  and  the  man 
that  wrought  it  may  not  stay  to  enjoy  it. 

"  We  shall  not  see  again  this  earnest  and  inspired  figure 
leading  his  artists  through  the  intricate  colors  and  shades 
of  the  great  tone  poems,  but  his  work  remains,  his  true 
work  is  less  perishable  than  statues  of  marble  or  buildings 
of  stone. 

"  After  all,  it  is  the  effect  of  a  man's  life  that  endures. 
After  all,  it  is  a  question  of  the  impress  he  has  left  upon 
the  contemporaneous  mind. 

"  In  the  long  story  of  the  world  even  the  most  solid 
creation  of  human  hands  is  as  transitory  as  a  breath. 
The  effect  of  a  great  life  goes  on  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration as  long  as  the  race  exists. 

"  Few  men  in  our  time  have  made  this  impress  deeper 
than  Theodore  Thomas. 

"  He  was  the  father  of  classical  music  in  America. 
When  he  began  his  work  the  orchestra  was  practically 
unknown  here.  There  was  no  taste  for  the  thoughtful  and 
satisfying  forms  of  music.  There  was  scarcely  a  vestige 
of  a  discerning  and  appreciative  musical  public. 

"  It  was  his  service  to  change  all  that.     He  introduced 


560  APPENDIX 

to  America  every  great  composer  who  now  has  a  following 
here.  He  made  classical  music  popular.  He  interpreted 
Wagner  and  made  those  wonderful  sound  structures  as 
familiar  in  American  homes  as  the  songs  of  childhood. 
He  strove  for  higher  ideals  with  a  kind  of  strenuous  and 
buoyant  faith  that  no  adverse  criticism  could  daunt.  He 
created  musical  taste  where  none  was  before;  he  set  a 
standard;  he  inspired  a  widely  dispersed  army  of  enthu- 
siasts, and  through  him  light,  new  ideas,  and  new  ideals, 
and  broader  culture  came  into  the  lives  of  millions  who 
never  saw  him. 

"  Greater  and  more  honorable  achievement  can  hardly 
be.  Soldiers  and  politicians  fill  the  world  with  noise,  and 
pass  and  leave  no  mark.  The  man  that  affects  thought  and 
ideals  and  the  inner  life  of  a  people  is  the  tremendous 
power  to  whose  work  all  the  rest  is  sound  and  fury,  sig- 
nifying nothing. 

"  Theodore  Thomas  was  undoubtedly  the  greatest  inter- 
preter of  orchestral  music  who  has  so  far  lived  on  this 
earth.  He  had  a  mind  abnormally  sympathetic  with  the 
most  subtle  musical  moods.  He  was  an  orchestral  genius. 
The  innovations  and  improvements  he  wrought  have  gone 
around  the  world.  He  was  recognized  wherever  music  is 
played  from  scores  as  the  greatest  of  directors.  His  influ- 
ence is  imperishable. 

"  The  greatest  lesson  of  his  life  is  that  true  success, 
enduring  success,  the  only  success  that  is  worth  having, 
comes  and  can  come  only  from  uncompromising  adherence 
to  the  highest  ideals.  Mr.  Thomas  never  made  the  slightest 
concession  from  the  standards  of  his  faith.  He  never  com- 
promised with  his  artistic  conscience,  never  considered  ex- 
pediency, never  temporized,  never  tolerated  error  that  good 
might  come  of  it.  There  is  no  other  lesson  so  important  to 
the  world.  The  substance  of  this  man's  life  was  that  right 


APPENDIX  561 

is  right  and  right  will  win.  Time  was  when  a  host  of 
critics  poured  upon  him  a  virulent  wrath  for  adhering 
inflexibly  to  his  conceptions,  for  playing  Wagner  when 
nobody  wanted  to  hear  Wagner,  for  insisting  always 
upon  the  best  as  eventually  the  most  popular.  He 
lived  to  see  every  adverse  criticism  overwhelmed  and 
the  music  that  he  introduced  become  the  favorite  of  the 
people. 

"  He  was  a  great  man,  a  great  soul,  a  great  inspiration 
and  leader.  He  drew  men  to  him  by  the  sheer  strength 
of  his  character  and  the  innate  kindness  of  his  heart,  and 
of  all  the  tributes  that  will  be  paid  to  him  none  will  be 
more  heartfelt  than  the  grief  of  the  men  that  he  has  led 
and  instructed  and  inspired  so  many  years. 

"  The  blow  to  Chicago,  to  the  orchestra  that  is  Chi- 
cago's pride  and  glory,  and  to  the  cause  of  good  music 
everywhere  is  heavy,  for  a  great  and  helpful  light  has  gone 
out" 

From  the  " Standard"  Chicago  : 

"When  a  man  not  only  cherishes  and  preaches  great 
ideals  but  in  difficulty  substantiates  them,  this  man  the 
world  calls  great.  Happy  are  we  if  we  know  our  great 
while  yet  they  are  with  us.  A  great  man  has  gone  out 
of  the  music  realm  of  two  hemispheres.  Theodore  Thomas, 
of  Chicago,  is  dead.  We  have  our  awe  and  homage  for 
soldiers,  statesmen,  divines,  and  captains  of  industry.  Let 
us  not  fail  to  know  that  it  is  one  of  the  world's  trans- 
formers, a  maker  and  master  of  musicians,  who  has  joined 
the  stately  company  of  leaders  of  the  race.  Mr.  Thomas 
and  his  orchestra  had  become  institutional.  He  was  the 
energizing  force  in  a  city  which  is  one  of  the  musical 
centers  of  the  world.  When  his  passing  is  noted,  and  his 
services  are  estimated  by  people  remote  from  this  metropo- 


562  APPENDIX 

lis,  the  error  of  judgment  should  not  be  made  that  this 
remarkable  man  was  at  best  but  a  successful  entertainer. 
As  well  confound  the  University  of  Chicago  with  a  lyceum 
bureau.  Mr.  Thomas  was  orchestral  organizer  and  con- 
ductor, teacher,  leader,  prophet  all  in  one.  No  such  com- 
manding personality  as  his  survives  in  the  world  of  music 
in  the  United  States  or  Europe.  .  .  .  Mr.  Thomas  was 
a  leader  in  every  great  sense,  and  the  thousands  that 
mourn  him,  that  sustained  him  with  money  and  sympathy, 
are  leaders  too,  some  in  very  large  ways,  some  in  smaller, 
but  all  devotees  of  the  art  that  most  effectually  of  all  the 
arts  bridges  earth  and  heaven.  However  approximate 
one's  appreciation  is  of  the  services  of  this  man  to  the 
humanizing  of  the  American  people  the  kind  of  a  man  he 
was  and  the  kind  of  work  he  sought  should  not  be  over- 
looked. Profoundly  educated  in  music  himself — in  younger 
years  a  violinist — strong  of  will  and  clear  of  purpose, 
he  was  a  discoverer,  importer,  and  developer,  as  the  case 
might  be,  of  true  masters  old  and  new.  He  not  only  dis- 
ciplined his  musicians  but  he  disciplined  the  public,  edu- 
cating it  sometimes  perhaps  against  its  will.  It  may  have 
casually  remonstrated ;  but  now  lamenting  the  departed  it 
finds  all  well.  Mr.  Thomas  passed  in  honor,  love,  and 
glory,  an  orchestra  for  his  legacy,  a  temple  for  his  monu- 
ment." 

From  the  Boston  "  Herald  ": 

"  THE   MUSICIAN   AS   PEOPHET  AND   PRIEST 

"The  tributes  paid  to  the  late  Theodore  Thomas  by 
musicians  have  been  notable  and  deeply  suggestive.  But 
they  were  to  be  expected.  It  was  not  so  certain  that  the 
spiritual  value  of  his  work  would  be  recognized  as  fully  as 
it  has  been  by  men  who  are  set  apart  distinctly  in  the  com- 
munity as  spiritual  guides,  but  who  now  and  again  are 


APPENDIX  563 

wont  to  define  the  limits  of  spiritual  influence  in  terms  of 
ecclesiasticism. 

"  The  comments  of  the  clergymen  of  Chicago  on  Theo- 
dore Thomas'  service  to  humanity  are  very  suggestive. 
They  frankly  recognize  that  he  was  both  priest  and 
prophet,  and  not  only  a  great  spiritual  force  by  reason  of 
his  gifts  as  a  conductor  and  the  effects  he  produced  on 
men's  higher  being  by  his  orchestra's  rendering  of  great 
masterpieces,  but  also  a  great  spiritual  force  because  he 
was  an  idealist  whose  standard  was  the  best,  and  who 
would  be  content  with  nothing  else. 

"  Such  appreciation  from  a  poetic,  beauty-loving  spirit 
like  Rev.  Dr.  Gunsaulus  might  have  been  expected,  who 
said,  *  We  have  said  good-by  to  a  priest  and  prophet.  It 
makes  no  difference  that  Theodore  Thomas  never  acknowl- 
edged his  divine  call  to  a  high  noble  ministry.  Music  is 
the  soul's  expression  of  that  irrepressible  desire  for  har- 
mony and  aspiration  after  concord  which  is  the  heart  of 
true  religion.  It  is,  perhaps,  the  sublime  unconsciousness 
in  which  such  a  man  works  his  transformation  upon  our 
less-gifted  natures  that  witnesses  most  to  his  finest  qual- 
ity.' But  hearty  recognition  of  Mr.  Thomas'  high  service 
to  society  as  a  spiritual  guide  came  from  some  of  the 
most  conservative  and  most  practical  of  the  city's 
preachers. 

"  Of  course  the  intimate  kinship  between  religion  and 
music  in  all  their  infinite  gradations  of  mood  and  concep- 
tions of  life  is  something  long  since  seen  and  declared,  and 
the  praise  of  Mr.  Thomas  as  a  great  spiritual  factor  in 
Chicago's  life  by  the  Protestant  and  Jewish  clergy,  only 
registers  the  fact  that  this  kinship  is  seen  by  men  of  to-day 
in  a  city  devoted  to  the  material  aspects  of  life.  .  .  . 
The  point  is  that  there  has  been  a  tribute  to  a  priest 
and  prophet  of  one  sort,  by  priests  and  prophets  of  an- 


564  APPENDIX 

other  sort.  No  doubt  the  very  contrast  between  the 
materialism  and  the  emphasis  on  the  things  of  the  outer 
man,  accentuated,  both  in  Mr.  Thomas'  mind  and  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  now  praise  him,  the  value  to  society  of 
that  refining,  quieting^  consoling,  illuminating  quality  of 
music,  which  might  not  have  been  so  profoundly  appre- 
ciated because  less  needed,  in  a  city  less  given  to  strife 
for  those  commodities  which  keep  the  body  alive  and  in 
comfort  but  do  not  minister  to  the  soul. 

61  In  Massachusetts  also  tributes  to  the  life  work  of  the 
late  Theodore  Thomas  were  paid  from  several  pulpits 
yesterday,  and  the  lessons  of  his  devotion  to  high  ideals 
and  lofty  ambitions  were  enforced  upon  the  minds  of  the 
congregations.  At  the  Crombie  Street  Church,  Salem,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  A.  Berle,  preaching  on  the  subject,  '  The 
Faith  That  Makes  Power,'1  referred  to  Theodore  Thomas 
as  follows: 

"'  The  multitudes  who  to-day  enjoy  the  musical  feasts 
which  are  spread  before  us  with  so  lavish  a  hand  can 
hardly  realize  what  a  howling  wilderness  it  was  musically 
to  which  Theodore  Thomas  came  with  his  magnificent 
power  and  with  his  wonderful  faith,  and  how  steadfastly 
he  adhered,  with  great  loss  and  often  utter  lack  of  appre- 
ciation, to  his  high  and  catholic  standards  of  musical 
interest  and  appreciation.  The  so-called  upper  circles,  as 
is  often  the  case,  were  the  last  to  come  around  to  his 
support  and  understanding.  Men  still  living  can  remem- 
ber when  the  only  place  where  one  could  hear  his  orchestra 
and  have  the  inspiration  and  benefit  of  the  great  delight 
and  spiritual  uplift  he  was  giving  to  the  American  people 
was  a  beer  garden,  and  when  the  people  who  crowded  de- 
lightedly around  him  were  the  foreign  population,  chiefly 
the  immigrant  Germans  and  their  children. 


APPENDIX  565 

" £  His  was  a  work  of  faith  which  has  had  a  mightier 
impress  upon  American  life  than  much  of  the  legislation 
which  has  been  passed  in  the  same  period.  It  has  had 
a  vaster  influence  upon  the  public  mind  and  character 
than  much  of  the  more  formal  instruction.  There  is  not 
a  school  or  church  or  theater  or  concert  hall  or  home  in 
the  land  but  is  richer  and  of  finer  type  because  of  the 
work  of  Theodore  Thomas.  The  pioneer  who  had  to 
begin  his  work  of  the  musical  culture  of  America  in  a 
beer  garden  ended  in  persuading  the  newest  and  the  most 
turbulent  metropolis  in  the  world  to  erect  a  beautiful  home 
for  his  orchestra,  and  saw  in  his  own  person  his  art  receive 
a  crown,  which  will  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance 
among  those  to  whom  the  glory  of  America  is  not  in  its 
colossal  fortunes,  but  in  its  magnificent  idealisms  carried 
to  the  sumptuous  fulfillment,  which  America  can  provide  as 
no  other  country  in  the  world  can.' 

"  In  a  prelude  to  his  sermon  last  night  at  People's  Tem- 
ple, the  Rev.  Charles  A.  Crane  said  of  Theodore  Thomas : 
'  He  was  a  master  in  affairs  as  well  as  in  music.  A  strident 
and  discordant  civilization  blustering  in  the  metropolis 
of  the  West — Chicago — he  so  far  changed  that  musical 
people,  the  musical  trade,  the  standards  of  music  and 
musical  taste  were  strengthened,  broadened,  and  elevated. 
He  never  catered  to  the  public.  He  called  them  up  to 
the  heights.  Two  generations  have  been  educated  by  his 
masterful  hand.  .  .  .  Who  can  name  his  limitations? 
He  was  a  priest  and  a  prophet  in  the  temple  of  music  and 
that  most  beautiful  of  all  arts  was  adorned  by  his  devo- 
tion to  it.' " 

From  Musicians: 

"  LEIPSIC,  January,  1905. 

"  Theodore  Thomas  was  the  pioneer  of  music  in  Amer- 
ica. We  younger  composers  must  always  be  especially 


566  APPENDIX 

grateful  to  him,  for  he  often  brought  out  our  works  in 
the  United  States  before  they  were  given  here  in  Europe. 
His  memory  will  never  be  forgotten. 

"  FELIX  WEINGAETNEE." 

"  BERLIN,  January,  1905. 

"  Not  only  Americans,  but  we  all  owe  Theodore  Thomas 
enormous  thanks.  Without  his  indefatigable  pioneer  work 
we  musicians  of  the  Old  World  could  never  have  had  such 

success  in  the  United  States. 

AETHUE  NIKISCH. 

**  VIENNA,  January,  1905. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  great  loss  the  death 
of  Mr.  Thomas  means  to  the  musical  world.  His  position 
was  unchallenged;  the  greatest  orchestra  conductor  in  the 
world.  He  had  no  equal.  There  is  none  to  take  his  place. 

"  WILLIAM  GEEICKE." 

"  BEELIN,  January,  1905. 

"  I  confess  the  death  of  Theodore  Thomas  has  shocked 
me  in  the  highest  degree.  Art  loses  in  him  a  musician  of 
the  rarest  purity  and  strength  of  character.  I  myself 
mourn  the  deceased  great  Master  as  a  faithful  friend. 
What  he  signified  for  musical  development  in  America  is 
well  known.  What  we  Germans  owe  him  shall  be  held  in 
everlasting  remembrance.  «  EICHAED  STEAIJSS  „ 


"  BEELIN,  January  7,  1905. 
"  MY  DEAE  MES.  THOMAS, 

"  I  am  more  than  sad  to-day.  You  have  lost  a  wonder- 
ful husband,  I  a  dear,  dear  friend,  and  America  —  no, 
Music,  Art,  —  has  lost  more  than  can  ever  be  expressed. 
Mr.  Thomas  did  all  for  it  with  his  manhood,  and  his  will 


APPENDIX  567 

power,  and  worked  with  his  high  and  earnest  valor  more 
than  could  a  thousand  others. 

"  Beside  yourself,  dear  Mrs.  Thomas,  there  are  few 
people  who  appreciated  him,  his  character,  and  all  that 
he  did,  so  highly  as  I.  I  never  met  a  musician  who  equaled 
him,  and  I  was,  and  will  be  ever  proud  that  he  called  me 
his  friend.  I  am  more  than  ashamed  of  New  York  when 
I  think  that  it  was  not  possible  for  him  to  establish  his 
orchestra  there — a  city  where  thousands  and  thousands 
of  dollars  are  spent  every  year  for  nothing — flowers, 
cloaks,  races,  and  the  Lord  knows  what. 

"  You  know  that  Mr.  Kalisch  and  I  have  always  thought 
of  him  and  you  with  all  the  love  we  could  bear  to  such 
dear  friends,  and  we,  especially  I,  will  always  remember 
him  as  a  Master  such  as  we  seldom  met.  I  hope  he  was 
buried  like  the  King  that  he  was,  and  that  his  death  was 
a  peaceful  one. 

"  Most  affectionately  yours, 

"  LILLI  LEHMANN  KALISCH." 

"  PARIS,  February  7,  1905. 

"  Vincent  d'Indy  desires  to  convey  to  Madame  Thomas 
the  expression  of  his  profound  sympathy  for  the  cruel  loss 
which  the  art  of  music  has  suffered  in  the  death  of  the 
celebrated  conductor,  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas,  to  whom  all 
French  composers,  and  Mr.  d'Indy  in  particular,  owe  the 
highest  gratitude." 

«  -.,  ,,       rr,  "  BOSTON,  January  5,  1905. 

"  MY  DEAE  MRS.  THOMAS, 

"  I  cannot  begin  to  describe  to  you  the  sense  of  desola- 
tion and  irreparable  loss  which  the  death  of  Mr.  Thomas 
has  caused  to  me  and  to  all  of  us  here.  His  services  to 
this  country  and  to  the  cause  of  art  were  well  known 
and  valued,  for  his  fame  was  national,  and  international. 
But  what  he  was  to  us  younger  musicians  of  Boston,  and 


568  APPENDIX 

what  his  influence  meant  to  us,  will  never  be  known  except 
by  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  belong  to  our 
circle. 

"  For  myself,  as  '  Deacon '  of  the  group  (as  he  called 
me),  I  can  truly  say  that  I  have  never  had  any  other 
teacher  or  friend  in  my  whole  career,  from  whom  I  ab- 
sorbed so  much  in  knowledge,  in  stimulation,  or  in  cour- 
age to  fight  for  a  high  standard  and  for  an  ideal.  It 
was  impossible  to  come  into  his  presence  without  feeling 
his  magnetism  and  the  force  of  his  great  personality. 

"  Every  word  that  he  uttered  carried  conviction  with 
it — one  felt  at  once  that  here  was  a  mwi,  and  that  he  was 
intolerant  of  everything  that  was  against  the  principles 
of  eternal  truth  and  beauty. 

"  It  will  always  be  my  pride  that  it  was  through  me 
that  he  learned  to  know  and  respect  our  younger  Boston 
composers,  and  that  through  me  they  got  a  share  of  the 
inspiration  which  his  friendship  brought.  He  alone,  of 
all  the  American  conductors,  has  treated  American  com- 
position as  a  dignified  and  serious  effort.  Not,  on  the 
one  hand,  as  the  work  of  incompetent  amateurs  to  be 
scoffed  and  sneered  at;  nor,  on  the  other,  as  an  infant 
industry  to  be  coddled  and  shielded  from  all  opposition. 
He  produced  the  works  of  American  writers  side  by  side 
with  the  classic,  and  also  the  modern  masters,  so  that 
they  could  be  compared  with  their  contemporaries,  and 
could  stand  or  fall  by  their  own  intrinsic  value — the  only 
position  that  a  real  artist  cares  to  occupy. 

"  Now  that  he  is  gone  there  is  no  one  on  whom  his 
mantle  can  fall,  and  there  will  not  be  until  an  American 
is  raised  up  who  takes  some  interest  and  pride  in  the 
work  of  American  musicians.   .    .    . 
"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  GEORGE  W.  CHADWICK." 


APPENDIX  569 

"  CAMBBIDGE,  January  12,  1905. 
"  MY  DEAR  MRS.  THOMAS, 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  how  shocked  I  was  to  hear  of  the 
death  of  your  beloved  husband.     The  whole  world  mourns 
with  you.   .    .    .  You   know  how  much  I  honored  and 

loved  him,  both  as  friend  and  musician.     No  one  ever  did 
so  much  for  me  professionally,  and  I  have  always  felt 
deeply   grateful   to   him;    and   what  he   did   for   me   he 
did  for  many  others.     The  world  will  not  see  his  like 
again.  ...   .    . 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

"  JOHN  K.  PAINE." 

"  DES  MOINES,  IA. 

"  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Theodore  Thomas  has 
been  an  uncrowned  king  among  the  musicians  of  this 
country.  He  ruled  with  an  authority  that  compelled  rec- 
ognition, with  an  autocracy  that  vied  with  sovereignty,  and 
received  homage  from  us  as  to  an  emperor.  His  throne 
has  been  our  art  which  he  established  in  the  West  upon 
the  very  highest  standards.  We  in  this  part  of  the  country 
have  lost  a  man  whose  individuality  and  ideals  have  been 
an  inspiration  and  whose  place  will  never  be  filled  in  ex- 
actly the  same  way.  The  general  public  cannot  appreciate 
what  a  leader  he  has  been  to  us,  yet  they  know  how  we  have 
looked  up  to  him.  On  whom  will  his  mantle  fall?  I  hope 
from  the  American  ranks.  Memorial  services  and  ad- 
dresses will  be  given,  requiems  will  be  sung  in  his  honor, 
biographies  written.  A  great  hall  is  erected  and  will  em- 
body his  memory  in  stone  and  mortar,  but  his  greatest 
monument  is  the  unseen  tribute  of  all  musicians,  who  in 
their  hearts  hold  his  name  sacred  and  live  for  ideals  such 
as  he  would  commend. 

"  FREDERICK  HOWARD." 


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